Crystallization and morphology in blends of isotactic polypropylene and linear polyethylene

Thermooptical, wide-angle x-ray diffraction and morphological investigations of blends of isotactic polypropylene with linear polyethylene revealed an increased crystallization rate of the polyethylene blend component, compared to crystallization of polyethylene alone. Crystallization behavior of the polyethylene component was markedly dependent on the blend thermal history and on the circumstances of the polyethylene phase—whether it was disperse or continuous. The higher crystallization rate of the polyethylene component was related to the presence of various types of heterogeneous crystallization nuclei in the blend and to the stabilizing action of the solid polypropylene matrix on minute polyethylene crystallites which survived above melting temperature.