Isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(ε-caprolactone)

With increasing environmental awareness, evaluating the potential of biopolymers as a substitute for traditional materials has been of great interest. Crystallization kinetics provides fundamental knowledge required for evaluation, playing vital role in determining the final properties of the product. In this study, the isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) were investigated with the help of various models. The Avrami model best described the isothermal crystallization kinetics, suggesting three-dimensional spherulitic growth, which was in agreement with the morphology studies; whereas the Liu model fit well under nonisothermal crystallization conditions. The failure of the Kissinger model to determine the activation energy was overcome with the Friedman model. The kinetic crystallizability determined by the Ziabacki model indicated a higher crystallization ability of PCL at lower cooling rates. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012