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semicrystalline polymer
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Figure 2: Amorphous and semicrystalline polymer morphologies. (Top) Volume-temperature diagram for amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, showing volume increasing with temperature; (bottom) schematic diagram of the semicrystalline morphology, showing amorphous regions and crystallites.
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semicrystalline polymer

chemistry
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Figure 2: Amorphous and semicrystalline polymer morphologies. (Top) Volume-temperature diagram for amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, showing volume increasing with temperature; (bottom) schematic diagram of the semicrystalline morphology, showing amorphous regions and crystallites.
Figure 2: Amorphous and semicrystalline polymer morphologies. (Top) Volume-temperature diagram for amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, showing volume increasing with temperature; (bottom) schematic diagram of the semicrystalline morphology, showing amorphous regions and crystallites.

A semicrystalline polymer is a material in the solid state where polymer molecules are arranged in ordered regions called crystallites, interspersed with disordered amorphous regions. Unlike amorphous polymers, where molecules are randomly oriented, the close packing of molecules in crystallites leads to strong intermolecular forces, resulting in tough plastics. Semicrystalline polymers tend to be opaque because the crystallites scatter light.1

The degree of crystallinity can be influenced by processes like drawing, which aligns molecules to increase strength. Polymers can exist in a glassy state at low temperatures, becoming rubbery above their glass transition temperature ((T_g)), and eventually melting at their melting temperature ((T_m)) if they are thermoplastic. This behavior allows them to be molded and shaped.12

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5 Britannica Sources
  1. chemistry of industrial polymers - Amorphous and semicrystalline
  2. plastic - Physical states and molecular morphologies
  3. elastomer
  4. amorphous solid - Polymeric structural materials
  5. major industrial polymers - Ethylene-propylene copolymers

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