Three-dimensional periodic architecture in Poly(ε-caprolactone) crystallized in bulk aggregates

Novel approaches and fractal-branching models are proposed to provide an evidence-supported mechanism of hierarchal lamellae assembly with regular periodicity in ring-banded poly(ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) crystallized in bulk forms from PCL/poly(phenyl methacrylate) mixtures. Crystallized specimens are examined with two different film-thickness levels. For interior analysis, specimens are fractured in delicate ways to study correlations of the architectures on top-surface vs. interior lamellae, and how these crystal species self-assemble to display morphological repetitive fractals with optical-banding periodicity. 3D self-assembly of alternate horizontal and vertical lamellar bundles with fractal-branching leads to varieties of architectures of ring-banded aggregates packed with lamellar branches at periodic intervals.