Figure 15.

Schematic representation comparing the evolution of homochiral and stereocomplex crystallization in (a) GO0 (no graphene oxide) and (b) GO reinforced composites. Preferential nucleation of SCs assisted by GO, both on the basal planes and at the edges, leads to the dominating development of SCs and spatially hindered homocrystals, whereas limited SCs are generated during the simultaneous growth of HCs for GO0. (c) Polarized optical micrographs showing the spherulitic textures formed in GO/racemic PLA composites after isothermal melt crystallization. The nucleation activity of PLA was evidently enhanced in the presence of GO nanosheets, regardless of crystallization temperature. The scale bar represents 100 μm for all images. GO0 stands for no graphene oxide [71].