Substrate induced molecular order and nucleation in polymer thin films (B03)

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It is the aim of the project to work out a fundamental understanding of crystallization induced at the interface between a solid substrate and a liquid polymer. Using in-situ AFM we experimentally established prefreezing as one mode of interface induced crystallization and showed that it corresponds to a first order wetting process. In the next funding period, we will extend our studies additionally to heterogeneous nucleation, the other possible process by which an interface can induce crystallization. The work is relevant to understand the function of nucleating agents and the effect of fillers on crystallization in polymers as well as for thin films of functional materials.