Effect of entanglement on nucleation rate of polyethylene

Abstract

Effect of entanglement on nucleation rate of polyethylene was investigated. Fractional polyethylene was used for the study. It was found that entanglements cannot be included within crystalline lattice as a point defect. This was attributed to the large spatial size of entanglement. Nucleation rate was found to get increased with increase in lamellar thickness. Free energy to form a critical nucleus was found to be almost constant with no dependence on number density of entanglement.