Crystal Structure Of Polypropylene Research Articles

Thermo-mechanical degradation of polypropylene (PP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) blends exposed to simulated recycling

Polypropylene (PP) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) are among the most converted resins; as such, they also have the largest share in municipal waste fractions. Currently, there is a great societal and industrial need to recycle these polymers using thermo-mechanical processes. However, process-induced degradation during recycling operations may lead to irreversible changes. In this study, PP was blended with 0 to 10 wt.% of LDPE was subjected to consecutive twin-screw extrusion cycles (0 to 5 times) to mimic thermo-mechanical recycling. The effect of reprocessing on the rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties of PP/LDPE blends was investigated. An increase in MFR and decrease in viscosity was observed for PP and the blends. DSC results showed that the crystal structure of PP was seriously affected and generated more disorder with reprocessing. Although tensile properties were not substantially affected, all properties had a decreasing trend. While successive thermo-mechanical processing caused chain scission of the PP phase of the blend, the overall property of the studied blend composition maintained acceptable properties. Thus, recycling of PP with low PE blend additive is a feasible option not only to reduce plastic waste but also to generate value from an otherwise waste product.

The Effect of Cooling Rate during Crystallization on the Melting Behavior of Polypropylenes of Different Chemical Structure

The melting behavior of polypropylenes of different chemical structure (isotactic homopolypropylene, propylene-based block and random copolymers and maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene) was studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and optical microscopy. Melting behavior and the crystal structure of polypropylene and its copolymers were observed depending on the crystallization rate, chemical nature of co-monomer unites and regularity of co-monomer units arrangement in the polypropylene main chain.

Characterisation of waste derived biochar added biocomposites: chemical and thermal modifications

A step towards sustainability was taken by incorporating waste based pyrolysed biochar in wood and polypropylene biocomposites. The effect of biochar particles on the chemistry and thermal makeup of the composites was determined by characterising them through an array of characterisation techniques such as 3D optical profiling, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, electron spin/nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. It was observed that addition of biochar increased the presence of free radicals in the composite while also improving its thermal conductivity. Biochar particles did not interfere with the melting behaviour of polymer in the thermal regime. However, wood and biochar acted as nucleation agents consequently increasing the crystallisation temperature. The crystal structure of polypropylene was not disrupted by biochar inclusion in composite. Transmission electron microscopy images illustrated the aggregated nature of the biochar particles at higher loading levels. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies revealed the aromatic nature of biochar and the broadening of peak intensities of composites with increasing biochar levels due to its amorphous nature and presence of free radicals. Thus, this insight into the chemical and thermal modification of biochar added composites would allow effective engineering to optimise their properties while simultaneously utilising wastes.

Biocomposites from waste derived biochars: Mechanical, thermal, chemical, and morphological properties

To identify a route for organic wastes utilisation, biochar made from various feedstocks (landfill pine saw dust, sewage sludge, and poultry litter) and at diverse pyrolysis conditions, were collected. These biochars were used to fabricate wood and polypropylene biocomposites with a loading level of 24 mass%. The composites were tested for their mechanical, chemical, thermal, morphological, and fire properties. The poultry litter biochar biocomposite, with highest ash content, was found to have high values of tensile/flexural strength, tensile/flexural modulus, and impact strength, compared to other composites. In general, addition of all the biochars enhanced the tensile/flexural moduli of the composites. The crystal structure of polypropylene in the composite was intact after the incorporation of all the biochars. The final chemical and crystal structure of the composite were an additive function of the individual components. The biochar particles along with wood acted as nucleating agents for the recrystallization of polypropylene in composite. Each component in the composites was found to decompose individually under thermal regime. The electron microscopy revealed the infiltration of polypropylene into the biochar pores and a general good dispersion in most composites. The poultry litter composite was found to have lower heat release rate under combustion regime.

Electrostatic Capture Efficiency Enhancement of Polypropylene Electret Filters with Barium Titanate

This study reports on the effects of BaTiO3—a high dielectric constant additive—addition on charging and filtration properties of meltblown polypropylene (PP) electret filters. Since electrostatic capture efficiency of electret filters is mainly dependent on electrical forces, surface potential and aerosol filtration properties were analyzed and compared. Due to quasi-permanent nature of electret property, stability of charging and filtration performance was also investigated via following an isothermal charge decay procedure. Addition of BaTiO3 did not alter fiber morphology significantly. Particularly, the stability of electrostatic filtration performance was found to be promising with the addition of BaTiO3. Possible microstructural changes after addition of BaTiO3 were investigated via wide angle X-ray diffraction. Changes in crystal structure of PP upon addition of BaTiO3 did not deteriorate electrostatic properties.Copyright 2015 American Association for Aerosol Research

Sisal fibre/polypropylene composites modified with carboxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer

In this study, polypropylene (PP)/sisal fibre (SF)/carboxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer (CTHP) composites were prepared by using short SF as the reinforcement, PP as the matrix and CTHP as a compatiliser. The impact fracture surface of PP/SF composites and the interfacial compatibility between PP and SF were analysed. Experimental results showed that the impact strength and flexural strength of PP/SF composites modified with the CTHP (2 wt-% of SF) were 21·5 and 9·7% higher than that of unmodified systems respectively. The SEM photomicrographs of the fracture surfaces have also shown that PP was highly bonded to the SF in the CTHP treated composites; wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurement indicated that the CTHP did not change the crystal structure of PP and was still a-type crystal. Moreover, the addition of a small amount of the CTHP was helpful to improve water resistance of SF/LGF/PP composites.

Effect of Montmorillonite Content on Nucleation of Polypropylene

In this article, the effect of montmorillonite (MMT) concentration on the nucleation of polypropylene (PP) was investigated. The PP/MMT nanocomposites containing various content of MMT (0.075-3.0 wt%) were prepared by a melt blending process using an internal mixer, followed by compression molding into sheets. The nucleation effect of MMT was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. XRD results indicated that the PP nanocomposites loaded with less than 1.5 wt% of MMT formed an exfoliated structure. DSC results showed that the crystallization temperature (Tc) of PP/MMT nanocomposites were higher than that of neat PP. Tc also increased with increasing MMT content, indicating that MMT was effective in nucleating PP crystal. WAXD patterns revealed that the addition of MMT did not affect the crystal structure of PP. Mechanical property tests showed that the tensile and impact strengths of the PP/MMT nanocomposites were better than those of neat PP when the MMT content was lower than 1.5 wt%.

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

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.

The Effect of Pressure-Induced Flow Processing on the Tensile Properties and Crystal Structure of Polypropylene

Mechanical properties have close relation with microstructure. Based on orientation of the molecule chain in fiber, they show a rapid increase in tensile properties. Nevertheless, block materials mainly gain rise of mechanical properties by blend or composite, it is hardly proposed on the self-reinforced materials by optimizing the microstructure. In this work, the structure and tensile properties of polypropylene (PP), treated at 105°C for 5min under different pressure, were studied with microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The variety of supra-structure that the spherulite deforms into ellipse even fractures piece in the pressure field adds to the mechanical properties. The orderliness of crystal increases with the pressure, and Tm is increased slightly from the original level.

STUDIES ON THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF POLYPROPYLENE OBTAINED BY COOLING MELT NEAR MELTING POINT UNDER SHEAR FLOW

In order to study the crystal structure of polypropylene obtained by cooling melt near melting point under shear flow,samples were prepared by using a dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM) device which was designed by ourselves. With the aid of scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ),differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD),crystal stuctures and morphologies were studied from skin to shear regions in these samples obtained by cooling melt near melting point under shear flow (DL). Compared with the samples molded with traditional injection molding (SL)and the samples molded with high melt temperature( DH ),SEM results indicated that crystal structures and morphologies in DL had been greatly affected. Oriented crystal stuctures were formed from skin to shear regions in DL,and no shish-kebabs could be found in these samples. DSC results showed that the dimension of lamellae in DL is bigger than that in SL and DH. WAXD test exhibited,compared with SL and DH,the dimension of crystal plane (110,040 and 130) is not greatly changed in DL.

Preparation and Properties of Polypropylene/Organo-Vermiculite Nanocomposites

Polypropylene/organo-vermiculite (OVMT) nanocomposites with different clay loadings were prepared via melt-mixing using a twin-screw extruder. The vermiculite was premodified with maleic anhydride by ball milling. The resultant polypropylene/OVMT nanocomposites possess an intercalated structure as confirmed by both wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical property tests show that the tensile and flexural strength of these nanocomposites increase dramatically with the OVMT loading; the fracture toughness remains almost unchanged and the Charpy impact strength decreases slightly. Finally, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and WAXD results show that the addition of vermiculite can induce the β crystal structure of polypropylene.

Crystallization Behaviors and Morphology of Polypropylene Containing Nucleating and Degradation Agents

The effect of 1,3;2,4-di-benzylidene sorbitol (TM-3) and/or dicumyl peroxide (DP) on molecular structure development, crystallization behaviors, and crystal structure of polypropylene (PP) was studied by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscope (POM), and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The GPC results show that the addition of DP causes the molecular weight of PP to decrease, and its distribution becomes narrower. The DSC results suggest that the PP chains become more difficult to unentangle when treated by the nucleating agents, which should be responsible for the difference in the nucleation effects. The DP has little nucleation effect on the crystallization of bulk PP; however, it can make it much easier to unentangle and accelerate the nucleation and crystallization of the bulk PP in PP/TM-3/DP. As well, the spherulites of PP become much smaller and disperse more uniformly. The β -form crystal phase disappears in PP/DP and PP/TM-3/DP samples due to decreasing molecular weight and narrowing molecular weight distribution.

Effect of ultrasound on extrusion of PP/EPDM blends: Structure and mechanical properties

AbstractThe effects of ultrasonic irradiation on the mechanical properties, morphology, and crystal structure of polypropylene (PP)/ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer (EPDM) blends were examined. Results show that appropriate irradiation intensity can noticeably increase the toughness of the PP/EPDM blends without reducing rigidity. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation shows that with ultrasonic irradiation, the morphology of a well‐dispersed EPDM phase is formed in the PP/EPDM blend. The glass transition temperatures of PP and EPDM phase approach each other as a result of ultrasonic irradiation. Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) analysis indicates that the crystallinities of the PP and EPDM phases increase with ultrasonic irradiation, and β crystals of PP form in the PP/EPDM blend with ultrasonic irradiation, which is proven by wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:1509–1513, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.

Effect of electrostatic reduced-gravity environment on the crystallographic parameters of melt-crystallized polypropylene

An electrostatic reduced-gravity device was developed and used specially for the study of the melt crystallization of polypropylene. The crystal structure of melt-crystallized polypropylene prepared under the reduced-gravity environment was investigated by using X-ray diffraction. The experiment results show that the crystal structure of the polypropylene is strongly dependent on the gravity applied to the sample during solidification. It is found that the crystallographic parameters a and b increase markedly with reduced-gravity ratio, while the value of c increases mildly.

DSC analysis of crystallization and melting behavior of polypropylene in model composites with glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers

Isothermal and nonisothermal crystallization of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP), which is used for the production of split warp knit composite preforms, 1 are analyzed in model composites to determine the influence of reinforce- ment glass fibers (GF) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) binding yarns on the crystallization kinetics. Basic energetic parameters of crystallization are determined, and the melting behavior of PP in model composites is analyzed. The crystallization of PP carried out in nonisothermal and isothermal regimes is facilitated in the presence of GF, and the additional effects of PET fibers are also shown. Better conditions for nucleation, resulting in lower energy for formation of a stable nucleus and lower critical dimensions, are proposed as a reason for this. The crystal structure of PP in model composites exhibits lower lamellae thickness and is less disposed to recrystallization. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 239 -246, 1999