Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.72, No.12, 1559-1564, 1999
Effect of self-nucleation on crystallization and melting behavior of polypropylene and its copolymers
The effect of self-nucleation on the crystallization and melting behavior of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) and low ethylene content propylene-ethylene copolymers were investigated. Isothermal crystallization kinetics were studied using the Avrami equation and Lauritzen-Hoffman nucleation theory. It was found that self-nucleation can enhance the crystallization. The surface free energy sigma(e) decreased for the self-nucleated sample. The melting behavior was affected by the preselected temperature, T-s, at which the polymer was partially melted.
Keywords:self-nucleation;crystallization;melting behavior;isotactic polypropylene;low ethylene content propylene ethylene copolymer