| Summary: | In this work, the crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) matrix included with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafted silica (PEG-<i>g</i>-SiO<sub>2</sub>) nanoparticles and bare SiO<sub>2</sub> were systematically investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized light optical microscopy (PLOM) method. PEG-<i>g</i>-SiO<sub>2</sub> can significantly increase the crystallinity and crystallization temperature of PEO matrix under the non-isothermal crystallization process. Pronounced effects of PEG-<i>g</i>-SiO<sub>2</sub> on the crystalline morphology and crystallization rate of PEO were further characterized by employing spherulitic morphological observation and isothermal crystallization kinetics analysis. In contrast to the bare SiO<sub>2</sub>, PEG-<i>g</i>-SiO<sub>2</sub> can be well dispersed in PEO matrix at low <i>P</i>/<i>N</i> (<i>P</i>: Molecular weight of matrix chains, <i>N</i>: Molecular weight of grafted chains), which is a key factor to enhance the primary nucleation rate. In particular, we found that the addition of PEG-<i>g</i>-SiO<sub>2</sub> slows the spherulitic growth fronts compared to the neat PEO. It is speculated that the interfacial structure of the grafted PEG plays a key role in the formation of nuclei sites, thus ultimately determines the crystallization behavior of PEO PNCs and enhances the overall crystallization rate of the PEO nanocomposites.
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