Publications
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Recent Publications
Temperature dependence of crystal – melt coexistence for supported polyethylene filaments
Da Huang, Thorsten Hugel, Bizan N. Balzer, Günter Reiter. Nature Communications 16 (2025) 11127
The broken symmetry of molecular interactions at interfaces is causing that crystals are often covered by a thin liquid layer of their own melt. Such crystal–melt coexistence can be related to phenomena of surface premelting, secondary nucleation and melting point depression, particularly important for small systems. Here, we employed intermittent-contact mode atomic force microscopy imaging on nanoscopic semi-cylindrical filaments of polyethylene on a substrate to observe that these filaments contained a crystalline core bounded by molten regions of rather uniform width, W_soft= (9 ± 2) nm at room temperature, which increased reversibly with temperature T. Filaments smaller than ca. 2∙W_soft (T) were completely molten. The values of W_soft (T) compared favorably with theoretically predicted characteristic length scales in the context of nucleation, surface premelting and the melting point depression of finite size crystals. Altogether, we show that these three phenomena are related and dominated by the intermolecular forces acting at crystal surfaces.
Crystallization of Layers of Strongly Adsorbed Poly(ethylene terephthalate) on Silicon Substrates
Liang Chen, Zhihang Bian, Xiaonan Li, Zhenwei Jiang, Jianquan Xu, Decai Lin, Guenter Reiter, Jichun You, Xinping Wang. Macromolecules 58 (2025) 12222–12230
We examined the crystallization behavior of ultrathin layers of strongly adsorbed poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) chains on silicon substrates, yielding a characteristic morphology of uniquely curved dendritic polymer crystals. The observed curvature resulted from bent edge-on lamellar crystals from which terraced flat-on branched lamellar crystals grew essentially from the convex outer side. The degree of bending increased with decreasing crystallization temperature and increasing strength of polymer/substrate interactions. We propose that unbalanced stresses acting on the fold surfaces of PET lamellar crystals, probably induced by strong interactions with the substrate, were responsible for the observed curvature of the lamellar crystals. (more...)
Crystallization and Melting of Polyethylene Strongly Cross-linked in the Molten State
Jingqing Li, Weihua Wang, Yunxiang Shi, Barbara Heck, Chuanfu Luo, Jesper de Claville Christiansen, Donghong Yu, Günter Reiter, Shichun Jiang. Soft Matter 21 (2025) 6422
We examined the crystallization and melting behavior of highly cross-linked polyethylene (xPE) samples, including structural characterization of the resulting crystalline domains. Using γ-ray irradiation, cross-linking was performed in the molten state and not in the solid state. This approach assured a statistical and homogeneous distribution of the cross-link points. Upon increasing the radiation dose, the molecular weight of the strands connecting the cross-link points reached values even lower than that of the strands between physical entanglements. (more...)
List of Publications
- Deformation of a Glassy Polymer Film by Long-Range Intermolecular Forces
- M.O. David, G. Reiter, T. Sitthai, J. Schultz. Langmuir 14, 5667-5672 (1998)
- Capillary waves on a poly(vinylacetate) surface studied by off-specular diffuse X-ray scattering
- S. Bauer, G.R. Strobl. Polymer Bulletin 40, 291-296 (1998)
- Superheating effects during the melting of crystallites of syndiotactic polypropylene analysed by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry
- J.E.K. Schawe, G.R. Strobl. Polymer 39, 3745-3751 (1998)
- The role of co-units in polymer crystallization and melting: New insights from studies on syndiotactic poly(propene-co-octene)
- G. Hauser, J. Schmidtke, G. Strobl. Macromolecules 31, 6250-6258 (1998)
- Synthesis and microphase separation of diblock copolymers of styrene and p-chlorostyrene prepared by using N-oxyl capped macroinitiators
- S. Butz, J. Hillermann, G. Schmidt-Naake, J. Kressler, R. Thomann, B. Heck, B. Stühn. Acta Polymerica 49, 693-699 (1998)
- La réflectivité des polymères
- G. Reiter. Chapitre VIII dans les actes de l'ecole française de réflectivité, à Marseille 1997, Eds. A. Gibaud, J. Daillant
- Surfactants: Eigenschaften und Einsatz in der Beschichtungstechnik
- G. Reiter. Kapitel 5: in Grundlagen und Verfahren der Beschichtungstechnik, Kurzlehrgang, Erlangen 1997
- Connectors in Adhesion and Contact Angle Hysteresis
- G. Reiter, A. Casoli, A. Sharma, P. Auroy. Dans les actes de JADH'97: 9émes Journées d'Etudes sur l'Adhesion, Sept. 1997 in St. Lary/F, Edition SFV, Paris 1997, p. 68-73
- Large-scale heterogeneities in entangled polymer solutions. Light-scattering study on polystyrene in toluene
- M. Heckmeier, M. Mix, G. Strobl. Macromolecules 30, 4454-4458 (1997)
- A four-state scheme for treating polymer crystallization and melting suggested by calorimetric and small angle X-ray scattering experiments on syndiotactic polypropylene
- J. Schmidtke, G. Strobl, T. ThurnAlbrecht. Macromolecules 30, 5804-5821 (1997)
- The Effect of Dissolved Side-Group Polymers on Pattern Dynamics in Nematic Liquid Crystals in a Rotating Magnetic Field
- E.E. Pashkovsky, W. Stille, G. Strobl and D. Talebi. J. Phys. II France 7 (1997) 707-727
- Structural transition in a nematic LC block copolymer induced by the transition to the LC phase
- J. Sänger, W. Gronski, S. Maas, B. Stühn, B. Heck. Macromolecules 30, 6783-6787 (1997)
- A new approach to polymer crystallization used in an analysis of data of syndiotactic polypropylene
- Gert Strobl. Acta Polymerica 48, 562-570 (1997)
- Director field patterns of nematic polymer solutions at asynchronous rotation in a magnetic field
- E. Pashkovsky, W. Stille, G. Strobl and D. Talebi. Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 302, 403 (1997)
- SAXS and TEM studies on poly(styrene)-block-poly(ethene-co-but-1-ene)-block-poly(styrene) in bulk and at various interfaces
- B. Heck, P. Arends, M. Ganter, J. Kressler, B. Stühn. Macromolecules 30, 4559-4566 (1997)
- Improving Adhesion via Connector Polymers to Stabilize Non-wetting Liquid Films
- G. Reiter, J. Schultz, P. Auroy, L. Auvray. Europhys. Lett. 33, 29 (1996)
- Instabilities of Thin Polymer Films on Layers of Chemically Identical Grafted Molecules
- G. Reiter, P. Auroy, L. Auvray. Macromolecules 29, 2150 (1996)
- The Effect of Adhesion on the Rheological and Frictional Behavior of a Confined Lubricant Film
- G. Reiter. J. Adhesion 57, 55 (1996)
- Instability of Thin Polymer Films on Coated Substrates: Rupture, Dewetting and Drop Formation
- A. Sharma, G. Reiter. J. Coll. Interf. Sci. 178, 383 (1996)
- Glass transition in ethylene-vinylacetate copolymers analyzed by combined dielectric and X-ray scattering experiments
- Bernd Holzer, Gert Strobl. Acta Polymerica 47, 40-47 (1996)