Patent ID: 7301000

Claim:
A process for crystallizing a polymer that is copolymer of a first repeat units which has a structure: and a second repeat unit that has a structure: in which R is independently a C 3 to C 19 alkyl group, the poloymer having at least 20 mole percent of hydroxyalkanoate repeat units, comprising a) admixing the polymer and a compound of the formula: R 1 —C(O)N(R 2 ) 2 , R 1 —C(O)NH—(R 3 )—NHC(O)—R 1 , R 1 —NHC(O)NH—(R 3 )—NHC(O)NH—R 1 , R 1 —NHC(O)—R 2 , R 1 —NHC(O)—(R 3 )—C(O)NH—R 1 , R 1 —C(O)NH—(R 3 )—C(O)NH—R 1 , R 1 —NHC(O)NH—(R 3 )—C(O)NH—R 1 , R 1 —NHC(O)NH—(R 3 )—NHC(O)—R 1 , or a combination thereof at a first temperature, which is from about 5° C. to about 15° C. above the melting point of the polymer; and b) cooling the polymer at a second temperature, which is from about the glass transition temperature of the polymer to about the melting point of the compound; wherein each R 1 is independently C 6 -C 30 alkyl; each R 2 is C 1 -C 20 alkyl; and each R 3 is independently C 2 -C 10 alkylene.