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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

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Published on: September 4, 2015
The non-equilibrium phase diagrams of flow-induced crystallization and melting of polyethylene
Zhen Wang1, Jianzhu Ju1, Junsheng Yang1
1National Synchrotron Radiation Lab, CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
Abstract:
Combining extensional rheology with in-situ synchrotron ultrafast x-ray scattering, we studied flow-induced phase behaviors of polyethylene (PE) in a wide temperature range up to 240 °C. Non-equilibrium phase diagrams of crystallization and melting under flow conditions are constructed in stress-temperature space, composing of melt, non-crystalline δ, hexagonal and orthorhombic phases. The non-crystalline δ phase is demonstrated to be either a metastable transient pre-order for crystallization or a thermodynamically stable phase. Based on the non-equilibrium phase diagrams, nearly all observations in flow-induced crystallization (FIC) of PE can be well understood. The interplay of thermodynamic stabilities and kinetic competitions of the four phases creates rich kinetic pathways for FIC and diverse final structures. The non-equilibrium flow phase diagrams provide a detailed roadmap for precisely processing of PE with designed structures and properties.
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