Crystallization of Isotactic Polypropylene Nanocomposites with Fibrillated Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) under Elevated Pressure

Abstract

Nanocomposites of isotactic polypropylene with 1–5 wt.% of fibrillated PTFE (PP/T) were prepared, and their crystallization during cooling under elevated pressure, in a wide pressure range, up to 300 MPa, as well as the resulting structure, were examined. The crystallization peak temperatures of PP/T, especially with 3 and 5 wt.% of PTFE, exceeded by up to 13 °C those of neat PP. Moreover, a fine-grain structure was formed in PP/T in the entire pressure range, which proved the ability of the fibrillated PTFE to nucleate crystallization of PP in the γ-form under elevated pressure. This also resulted in a higher crystallinity level developed in the γ-domain, before the temperature range of the α-domain was reached during cooling. Hence, the γ-content increased in comparison to that in neat PP, under the pressure up to 200 MPa, especially under 50–100 MPa.

Keywords

• crystallization
• gamma form
• poly(tetrafluoroethylene) fibers
• isotactic polypropylene
• high pressure