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Effect of an active β-nucleating agent on the crystallization behavior of polypropylene random copolymer

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Abstract

There are few commercially available β-nucleating agents (β-NAs) that can induce Polypropylene random copolymer (PPR) to produce large amounts of β-crystals at present. In this work, we discover that the Zinc Suberate (ZnSA) can effectively induce the formation of β-crystals for PPR and the relative β-crystals content (Kβ) can reach 0.82 when 0.2wt% ZnSA is added. The incorporation of ZnSA significantly decrease the size of spherulite and increase the crystallization rate, which are revealed by polarized optical microscopy (POM) images. Then, the effects of ZnSA on the isothermal and non-isothermal crystallization behavior of PPR at ultra-fast cooling rates and heating rates were investigated by Flash-DSC. Through the isothermal crystallization process, a bimodal relationship between the peak crystallization time and temperature was obtained. When the isothermal crystallization temperature is higher than 36 °C, ZnSA significantly increases the crystallization rate of PPR. According to the non-isothermal crystallization, we discover that the addition of ZnSA inhibits the formation of mesophase and the low cooling rate (< 10 °C·s−1) is more beneficial for the formation of β-crystals for PPR. In addition, β-crystals are not suitable to be characterized by rapid heating rate (> 300 °C·s−1) because β-crystals and α-crystals are not distinguished at rapid heating rate. This work is beneficial for deeply understanding the influence of β-NAs on crystallization behavior of PPR and providing guidance for the optimization of industrial production processes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of this work by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 21878089).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Materials Chemical Engineering, State-Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, People’s Republic of China

    Xixiang Zhang, Hang Wu, Xuelian He & Shicheng Zhao

  2. Oil & Gas Technology Research Institute Changqing Oilfield Company Petrochina, Xian City, Shaanxi Province, 710018, People’s Republic of China

    Fan Tang & Wei Lv

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  1. Xixiang Zhang
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Correspondence to Shicheng Zhao.

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Zhang, X., Tang, F., Lv, W. et al. Effect of an active β-nucleating agent on the crystallization behavior of polypropylene random copolymer. J Polym Res 29, 4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-021-02797-3

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