https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.09447
Thermal treatment of a solid polymer material at a fixed or changing temperature that leads to desired changes in its physical structure and properties without involving complete melting or dissolution.
Notes:
- Annealing of a crystalline polymer is usually carried out by keeping the polymer at temperatures just below its melting point.
- Annealing may be carried out by exposure of a crystalline polymer to a poor solvent or to its vapors.
- In a crystalline polymer, the process of annealing leads to reorganization and involves an increase of order in existing crystallites, an increase in degree of crystallinity, and changes to more stable polymorphs.