| Abstract: | This paper is a retrospective of a past dedicated to research on polymers and a situation sketch of the present and the near future. (Co)polymers discussed are mainly based on ethylene. (Cross‐)fractionation techniques combined with state‐of‐the‐art characterization techniques, like quantitative differential scanning calorimetry, are powerful tools for the study of the links between two main topics: molecular structure and crystallization/melting. These form the two ‘Janus faces’ polymers can show, namely Face 1: the molecular structure resulting from polymerization with the keyword ‘nature’; and Face 2: the driving force of crystallization towards a metastable state, with the keyword ‘nurture’. After all, to meet demands for properties of products, in principle one starts with a given molecular architecture, after which dedicated processing, including application of temperature–time ramps, has to do the job. With new instrumentation, especially fast scanning (chip) calorimetry, for the first time in history the driving force towards crystallization into one of the possible metastable states – via Face 2 – can be controlled, of course within certain limits given by Face 1. This promising outlook of combining the faces to a useful symbiosis of Janus will be a challenge for those working in the science of crystallization of polymers. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry |
