Shifting Paradigms in Polymer Crystallization

The role of conformational entropy of polymer chains in polymer crystallization is investigated by molecular modeling and theory. The entropy of folded loops dominates at experimentally relevant temperatures to dictate short equilibrium lamellar thicknesses, which are much smaller than the extended chain thickness. Also the entropic barriers control the kinetics of polymer crystallization. These results based on chain entropy are different from the classical views of how polymer chains crystallize.