Decoration of Flat-On Lamellar Crystals by Ripples and Spirals

4 Decoration of Flat-On Lamellar Crystals by Ripples and Spirals 

The process of spiral formation can be deduced from details observed by AFM, as shown in Fig. 11.12. A film of 102 nm is more than twice as thick as one lamellar thickness (about 45 nm at 57 C). Thus, the first lamella, growing close to the substrate is stUl covered with a large reservoir of non-crystalline - but crystallizable polymers. From our experiments, it turned out that the junction lines between side branches are regions of high probabihty for spiral nucleation. These spirals may either form a new lamella, similar in shape as the underlying square-shaped lamella (see Figs. 11.10 and 11.12A). Or, as shown in Figs. 11.10 and 11.12C, such spirals may be accompanied by a 

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