Isothermal crystallization behavior and melting characteristics of injection sample of nucleated polypropylene

The isothermal crystallization behavior and melting characteristics of pure polypropylene (PP) and PPs nucleated with a phosphate nucleating agent (A) and a sorbitol derivative (D) have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Compared with pure PP, nucleated PPs show a shorter half-times of crystallization. Dependence of crystallization rate of nucleated PP on the crystallization temperature is stronger than that of pure PP at the higher crystallization temperature, whereas the opposite results are obtained at the lower crystallization temperature. Addition of nucleating agent shifts the temperature at the deviation from the baseline of DSC melting curve, T-m(o), and the temperature at the completion of melting, T-m(f), to higher temperatures, indicating that nucleated PPs exhibit a higher perfection of PP crystals. A shoulder peak in the high temperature range of melting peak of nucleated PP and a wider low temperature region in the melting peak of pure PP are observed. Obviously, PP and nucleated PPs form different distribution of crystal perfection in the isothermal crystallization process. According to the half-time of crystallization, nucleating agent A is more effective than D. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.