Study of the Nonisothermal Crystallization Kinetics and Melting Behaviors of Polypropylene Reinforced with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Nanocomposite

Nonisothermal crystallization kinetics of polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite reinforced with 0.5 wt. % single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry at five different cooling and heating rates. The Avrami, Ozawa, and Seo-Kim kinetic models were used to describe the nonisothermal crystallization of the polymer and its nanocomposite. The addition of nano-filler, in general, improved the crystallization rate and increased the peak crystallization temperature of the nanocomposite as compared to PP. The results show that the Avrami and Seo-Kim models are suitable under different cooling rate conditions but that the Ozawa model is inappropriate for the nanocomposite. Equilibrium melting temperatures, derived from the linear Hoffman-Weeks equation, were shown to decrease in the nanocomposite. Additional analysis was performed based on the Thomson-Gibbs, Lauritzen-Hoffman, and Dobreva-Gutzowa theories, which were applied to take into account the lamellar thickness, nucleating agent, and nucleating activity of the nanocomposite in the nonisothermal melt crystallization process.