The impact of polypropylene-graft-maleic anhydride on the crystallization and dynamic mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene

David P. Harper, Marie Pierre G. Laborie, Michael P. Wolcott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were used to identify the mechanisms that lead to differences in the mechanical behavior of formulations of polypropylene blended with maleated polypropylene (MAPP) copolymers. MAPP lowered the melting temperature of PP indicating that less stable crystals were formed possibly because of cocrystallization of PP and MAPP. Crystallization kinetics revealed that copolymers do not change the rate of crystal growth, but may retard nucleation leading to a more spherulitic morphology. The dynamic storage modulus slightly increased in the glassy region with the small addition amounts of MAPP, while mechanical dampening systematically decreased with MAPP addition. An analysis of the viscoelastic behavior did not reveal any real differences in molecular coupling around the β-transition of PP with the addition of the MAPP copolymer. At low addition levels, MAPP does not appear to have a significant impact on the viscoelastic properties of the polymer blend.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)753-758
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Applied Polymer Science
Volume111
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 15 2009

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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