Polypropylene Nucleation

Abstract

This chapter aims to summarize the most important details of nucleation in polypropylene. The details of crystallization as well as the most important ways of targeted manipulation of crystalline structure in polypropylene are also discussed. The basic techniques like calorimetry (DSC), thermo-optical and scanning electron microscopy (TOM and SEM) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) are introduced together with some rarely used technique-like rheology for example-for characterization of nucleating effect. The nucleating agents are classified into two main groups. The first group is the “conventional” heterogeneous nucleating agents and the second class is the “soluble” nucleating agents. The structure that develops in the presence of both nucleating agent groups is presented in details. Moreover, the correlation between the crystalline structure and the properties is also demonstrated. An empirical equation is also described, which links the crystalline structure to the tensile stiffness quantitatively. The most important structural parameters, which influence the optical properties of the polymer are also introduced, but the quantitative correlation cannot be provided.