Effect of pressure on the crystallization behaviour of polyethylene terephthalate

Crystallized polyethylene terephthalate (PET) samples were obtained at high pressures of 200–400 MPa at a temperature of 603 K, and another group of the samples were made at pressures of 250–350 MPa and different temperatures with a fixed supercooling. The samples were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. Characterization results suggested that high pressure could increase the crystallization rate and promote the thickening process of PET lamellar crystals.