LAUSR

Abstract Low-temperature crystallization of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was investigated by conventional and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and TMDSC). After completion of primary crystallization, cooling of semicrystalline PBS to temperatures near or even below the glass transition temperature (Tg) leads to additional crystal growth. Such crystallization below Tg is identified by detection of frequency- and time-dependent reversing heat-capacity in non-isothermal and quasi-isothermal TMDSC analyses, respectively. Moreover, crystallization in the glassy state causes a shift of Tg to higher temperatures, thus affecting the properties of the amorphous phase. Low-temperature crystallization of amorphous PBS was recently reported in the literature and linked to completion of enthalpy relaxation of the PBS glass. In the present study, low-temperature crystallization has been shown to occur also in semicrystalline PBS, with low temperature crystallization probably involving constrained amorphous segments already coupled with the crystals.