Effects of Phthalocyanine Blue and Ultramarine Blue Pigments on Nucleation of Polypropylene

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the organic phthalocyanine blue and inorganic ultramarine blue pigments on nucleation of polypropylene (PP). The PP/pigment pellets containing various concentrations of each pigment (0.0001-0.1 wt %) were prepared by a melt blending process using a single-screw extruder, followed by fabricating into thin sheets using a single-screw plastic sheet extruder. The nucleation effects of both pigments were characterized by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The WAXD patterns revealed that the addition of phthalocyanine blue or ultramarine blue did not affect the crystal structure of PP. The DSC results indicated that both pigments were able to nucleate PP, where the organic phthalocyanine blue pigment was a very efficient nucleating agent, increasing the crystallization temperature of PP by 15oC. The results of tensile and optical tests showed that the tensile strength and clarity of PP were improved with phathalocyanine blue addition.