| Abstract: | The isothermal crystallization behavior of a propylene/ethylene copolymer containing a clarifying additive has been studied in detail and compared with the equivalent unclarified grade. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to obtain crystallization exotherms for both the unclarified system and the clarified analogue. Avrami analysis of these data was then performed, using both linear and nonlinear data‐fitting techniques. Linear analysis revealed a change from a primary to a secondary crystallization process in the clarified system at about 50% relative crystallinity. Nonlinear techniques, however, led to more reliable estimates of the Avrami parameters and provided estimates of crystallization‐induction times. By combining the preceding with isothermal crystal‐growth‐rate data, the nucleation density in each material was obtained as a function of crystallization temperature. In the unclarified case, this fell exponentially with temperature. The nucleation density in the sorbitol‐clarified copolymer was 103–106 times greater than in the unclarified material, but decreased only slowly with increasing crystallization temperature throughout the temperature range investigated here. This final result appears entirely contradictory to previous morphological work in which a distinct morphological transition was observed at 128 °C and associated with a marked reduction in the nucleating efficiency of the sorbitol. Possible explanations for this apparent contradiction are considered. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2178–2189, 2002 |
