Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/A11199/01
Title:	ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY OF POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION
Principal Investigator:	Hobbs, Professor J
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Physics
Organisation:	University of Bristol
Scheme:	Advanced Fellowship (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 September 2001	Ends:	31 December 2003	Value (£):	210,999
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 15 Jan 2001 Materials Advanced Fellowships Interview Panel Deferred 11 Dec 2000 Materials Fellowships Sift Panel Deferred
Summary on Grant Application Form
The way in which polymers crystallize is of considerable industrial significance as it controls both their processibility and final properties. It is also an area of ever increasing academic interest combining the rich subject areas of phase transformations, soft solids and complex fluids. Our understanding of polymer crystallizaiton has been hindered by an inability to obtain real space information on the fundamental length and time scales of the process. Recent developments in atomic force microscopy are now allowing us to access this information. This project will utilise these recently developed techniques to follow the crystallization and melting of a number of industrially significant and model polymers, from both quiescent and processed melts, in-situ, in real-time. By following the evolution of the individual lamellar crystallites, as a function of chain chemistry, chain length and crystallization temperature, invaluable new data on the kinetics of growth and the route taken during the transformation from melt to the final crystal form, will be obtained. This work, building on successful preliminary experiments, will provide unambiguous information to test existing theories and to inform the development of an improved theoretical understanding.
Key Findings
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Organisation Website:	http://www.bris.ac.uk