Carbon nanotube nucleation of polypropyne crystals

BRIAN GRADY; FRANCISCO POMPEO; ROBERT SHAMBAUGH; DANIEL RESASCO

Nashville - USA

Conferencia; Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC); 2003

Non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization experiments were performed on polypropylene mixed with carbon nanotubes. Mixing of the nanotubes with the polymer was accomplished by adding the nanotubes to a decalin solution that contained dissolved polypropylene, followed by evaporation of the solvent. Nanotubes promoted growth of the less-preferred beta form of crystalline polypropylene at the expense of the alpha form. In the case of non-isothermal crystallization, the total amount of crystalline material in the sample was the same for the filled and unfilled materials. However, for isothermal crystallization experiments, the percent crystallinity in the filled materials was slightly higher. Most importantly, the rate of crystallization was substantially higher in the filled system.