Regensburg 2004 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 13: SYMPOSIUM: Understanding and Controlling Complex Structures: From Synthetic Polymers to Biomaterials I

CPP 13.2: Hauptvortrag

Dienstag, 9. März 2004, 10:00–10:30, H 37

Polymer cystallization as an example for highly meta-stable structure formation — •Jens-Uwe Sommer and Günter Reiter — Institut de Chimie des Surfaces et Interfaces (CNRS-UHA), 15 rue Jean Starcky, 68057 Mulhouse, FRANCE

Long chain molecules form crystalline structures by developing folded conformations, thus incurring a large decrease of conformational entropy. Generally, crystallization of polymers leads to structures far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Many of the features of polymer crystallization are thus only poorly understood and recent experiments show results which are unexpected on the basis of existing theoretical models [1]. As a general paradigm for complex structure formation, polymer crystals develop through a series of intermediate states. We give an overview about recent advances and open questions in the understanding of polymer crystallization processes, considered from the point of view of non-equilibrium structure formation processes. In particular the investigation of crystallization processes in ultra-thin films sheds more light on these complex systems. We have developed a generic lattice model which allows us to understand and predict various aspects of morphogenesis and non-equilibrium melting phenomena [2].

[1] J.-U. Sommer and G. Reiter: Polymer Crystallization: Observations, Concepts and Interpretations, Lecture Notes in Physics , Vol. 606, Springer Verlag (2003)

[2] J.-U. Sommer and G. Reiter: Morphogenesis of Polymer Chain Crystals, Europhys. Lett. 56, 755 (2001)