Crystallization and morphological features of syndiotactic polystyrene induced from glassy state

Based on the above facts, we conclude that the presence of a QHv minimum is ascribed to the resultant events of the two competitive transitions i.e. liquid-solid crystallization, and liquid-liquid demixing resulting from the spinodal decomposition (SD). At lower Tc, the unstable SD transition overwhelms the crystallization. Despite the low chain mobility, the coarsening process driven by the interfacial energies has reached a certain level before crystalline nucleation takes place. At higher Tc, on the other hand, cold crystallization becomes the dominant process due to the enhanced chain mobility, leading to the suppression of ongoing SD coarsening process. At an intermediate Tc range, comparable competition of the phase separation and crystallization prohibits the development of ordered symmetry within spherulites, giving the presence of QHv minimum.