Morphology Control Technologies of Polymeric Materials During Processing

The processing, morphological structure, and properties of polymeric materials are closely related with each other. Morphological structure of polymeric materials is formed in situ under complex temperature and external force fields during processing, and in turn affects the ultimate performances of products. With the increasingly widespread application and more stringent requirement of polymeric materials, improved processing technologies are needed in order to improve product quality. A new processing methodology, i.e., morphology control, appears to achieve a significant improvement by structuring the morphological structure of polymeric materials. This paper presents a summary of four different types of morphology control technologies, namely, shear controlled orientation in injection molding, vibration-assisted injection molding/extrusion, rotational extrusion, and in situ microfibrillation/formation. Methods of application and their resulting effects on morphological structure and mechanical performances of polymeric materials are presented in a review format.