Quantum beam studies on polymer crystallization under flow

Kanaya, Toshiji; Matsuba, Go*; Ogino, Yoshiko*; Takahashi, Nobuaki; Nishida, Koji*

One of the longstanding issues in polymer science is crystallization of polymers under flow, especially formation of the so-called shish-kebab. Recent progress in quantum beam technology shed light on the substantial nature in the shish-kebab formation. In this paper we review our recent experiments on polymer crystallization under flow using time-resolved depolarized light scattering, small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering and small-angle neutron scattering in a wide spatial scale from 0.1 nm to several tens m. These studies revealed that the shish-kebab formation is governed by a competition between the crystallization rate and the chain relaxation rate.