The solid-state morphologies, structures, and chain conformations of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have been reorganized/altered from those normally produced by solution and melt processing. This has been achieved by two distinct methods: (1) formation of a crystalline inclusion compound (IC) between guest PET and host gamma-cylodextrin (gamma-CD), followed by removal of the host gamma-CD and coalescence of the guest PET (c-PET) and (2) rapid precipitation of PET from a warm trifluoracetic acid solution into a large excess of rapidly stirred acetone (p-PET). Our prior observations (FTIR, NMR, DSC, X-ray) demonstrated that c-PET processed in this manner has a morphology, structure, and non-crystalline chain conformations that are quite distinct from those of as-received PET (asr-PET). Where possible to compare, here we find that c- and p-PETs behave very similarly, but very distinctly from asr-PET. The reorganized c- and p-PETs were found to be repeatedly rapidly crystallizable from the melt with a high level of crystallinity, and in their non-crystalline regions to have tightly packed chains predominantly adopting highly extended kink conformations, which evidence no glass-transition behavior. What is most unusual and somewhat puzzling is that their contrasting structures, morphologies, conformations, and thermal responses were observed to be independent of melt annealing, and persisted even after holding both samples above T-m for extended periods (hours). p-PET, which can be produced in larger quantities than c-PET, was utilized to measure additional macroscopic properties, such as melt viscosities, densities, and the stress-strain and thermal shrinkage of melt-pressed films, for comparison to those of asrPET. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.