Solid‐state drawing of β‐nucleated polypropylene: Effect of additives on drawability and mechanical properties |
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| Authors: | Benny Luijsterburg Peter Jobse Daniel Hermida Merino Ton Peijs Han Goossens |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Polymer Materials, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, , P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven, The Netherlands;2. Top Institute Food and Nutrition, , P.O. Box 557, Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. DUBBLE CRG BM26@ESRF, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, , Grenoble, 38043 France;4. School of Engineering and Materials Science, and Materials Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, , London E1, 4NS, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Isotactic polypropylene (i‐PP) can crystallize in different crystal modifications. In this article, the effect of sepiolite (one‐dimensional) and carbon black (three‐dimensional) fillers on the solid‐state drawability of i‐PP is discussed. The cross‐hatched structure of thermodynamically most stable α‐crystal phase in i‐PP does not allow for perfect chain alignment during solid‐state drawing. The β‐phase i‐PP, obtained by addition of specific nucleating agents, crystallizes in a non‐cross‐hatched spherulitic structure and allows more easy drawing. Depending on the filler type, β–α transformation takes place at different draw ratios, as was observed by in situ wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurements. It was observed that β‐nucleated i‐PP has a lower yield stress and can be drawn further than i‐PP crystallized in the α‐crystal phase. If added in the right amount, both carbon black and sepiolite have a reinforcing effect on PP tapes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1071–1082 |
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| Keywords: | β – α transformation carbon black polypropylene recycling sepiolite solid‐state drawing structure– property relationships wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction |
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