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Crystallization and melting behavior of isotactic polypropylene nucleated with individual and compound nucleating agents

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Abstract

In this study, α-phase nucleating agent (NA) 1,3:2,4-bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol (DMDBS), β-phase rare earth NA (WBG), and their compound NAs were introduced into isotactic polypropylene (iPP) matrix, respectively. Crystallization kinetics and subsequent melting behavior of the nucleated iPPs were comparatively studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. For the isothermal crystallization process, it is found that the Avrami model successfully described the crystallization kinetics. The active energy of nonisothermal crystallization of iPP was determined by the Kissinger method and showed that the addition of nucleating agents increased the activation energy. Melting behavior and crystalline structure of the nucleated iPPs are dependent on the nature of NAs and crystallization conditions. Higher proportion of β-phase can be obtained at higher content of β-nucleating agent and lower crystallization temperature or lower cooling rate.

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Acknowledgements

The research was partly financed by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program No. 2009AA03Z319) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50905024).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Automotive Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, 116024, Dalian, China

    Zhiyong Wei, Wanxi Zhang, Guangyi Chen, Jicai Liang & Shu Yang

  2. School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, 116026, Dalian, China

    Pei Wang & Lian Liu

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  1. Zhiyong Wei
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Correspondence to Zhiyong Wei or Lian Liu.

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Wei, Z., Zhang, W., Chen, G. et al. Crystallization and melting behavior of isotactic polypropylene nucleated with individual and compound nucleating agents. J Therm Anal Calorim 102, 775–783 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-010-0725-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-010-0725-9

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