Crystallization, melting, supermolecular structure and properties of isotactic polypropylene nucleated with dicyclohexyl terephthalamide
Dicyclohexyl terephthalamide (DCHT) is an efficient and partially soluble nucleating agent for isotactic polypropylene. Its properties, nucleating efficiency and selectivity were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, calorimetry and polarized light microscopy techniques with special attention to the dissolution and recrystallization of DCHT in the iPP melt. The mechanical properties of the nucleated samples were studied using standard tensile tests. It was found that DCHT possesses dual (a and b) nucleating ability. DCHT is soluble in polypropylene melt and recrystallized from the melt during the cooling. It was observed that a special supermolecular structure is formed in its presence, where micron sized a iPP is dispersed finely in the b iPP matrix. This unique structure promoted good stiffness and toughness simultaneously.
Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry