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Related Experiment Videos

Are metastable, precrystallisation, density-fluctuations a universal phenomena?

Ellen L Heeley1, C Kit Poh, Wu Li

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK S3 7HF.

Faraday Discussions
|January 31, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Pre-nucleation density fluctuations drive metastable phase formation in minerals and polymers. This amorphous phase precedes crystallization, influencing crystal structure and properties in various materials.

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Science
  • Crystallography

Background:

  • Crystallization is fundamental to material properties.
  • Understanding early-stage ordering is crucial for controlling material structure.
  • Simultaneous X-ray scattering offers insights into dynamic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the initial stages of crystallization in diverse materials.
  • To elucidate the role of metastable phases in crystallization.
  • To correlate pre-nucleation phenomena with final crystal structures.

Main Methods:

  • Simultaneous time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS).
  • In-situ observation of crystallization in isotactic polypropylene, block copolymers, and calcium carbonate formation.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Melt extrusion techniques for studying rapid polymer crystallization.

    • Main Results:

    • Isotactic polypropylene shows large-scale ordering before crystal growth.
    • Block copolymers exhibit temperature-dependent mesophase formation, influenced by incipient crystallization.
    • Calcium carbonate precipitation involves an amorphous metastable phase preceding calcite and vaterite formation.
    • Evidence of pre-nucleation density fluctuations and metastable phase formation across all studied systems.

    Conclusions:

    • A universal mechanism involving pre-nucleation density fluctuations and metastable phases governs crystallization in minerals and polymers.
    • Metastable phases play a critical role, preceding and influencing the formation of stable crystalline structures.
    • These findings provide a unified view of crystallization initiation across different material classes.