Effect of pulsed magnetic fields on crystallization of polymers

The effect of pre-crystallization pulsed magnetic field (PMF) treatment of linear flexible-chain polymers on kinetics of their crystallization and structure in the crystalline state has been studied in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethylene oxide (PEO). It was established that the PMF treatment can destruct the initial net of non-chemically bonded "physical nodes" of the polymer and thus turn the melt into a metastable state with the increased sensitivity to regimes of crystallization. The effect revealed can lay the foundation for the development of new effective methods of controlled crystallization of the flexible-chain polymers, including fractionation and crystallization of polymorphic polymers in the chosen structural modification.