Increasing the rate of crystallization of engineering thermoplastics

Method for enhancing the crystallization rates of engineering thermoplastics through the use and incorporation of particulate additives with dimensions on the order of 10-1000 nm is described. The presence of nanoparticles at concentrations of, e.g., less than 10 weight percent of the composition, reduces the viscosity of the thermoplastics as compared to the respective homopolymer, thereby increasing polymer chain transport and diffusion to the crystallizing growth front. The prescription of this technology has been shown to reduce crystallization half times of some engineering thermoplastics by as much as 40 percent at optimal crystallization temperatures, an effect that is magnified as the temperature is reduced towards the glassy state of the amorphous phase. Nano-modified engineering thermoplastics with rapid crystallization kinetics and relatively low viscosities can be utilized in component fabrication processes that require rapid processing times, e.g., for the sake of cost efficiency.