STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF THE EXTRUDED BLENDS OF A LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMER WITH POLYPROPYLENE

Blends of a thermoplastic, isotatic polypropylene (PP) and a liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP) based on a copolyester of hydroxynapthoic acid and hydroxybenzoic acid, were extruded. The LCP exhibited a higher viscosity than that of the PP under the extrusion conditions. Calorimetric, microscopic, static and dynamic mechanical tests were performed on these blends. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms indicated that the crystallization temperature of PP increases slightly with increasing LCP content. Scanning electron microscopy examinations revealed that the LCP phase was elongated into microfibrils in the blends investigated. However, some undeformed spherical droplets were dispersed in the PP matrix in addition to microfibrils for the blends containing high LCP concentrations. Static tensile tests showed that the addition of LCP to PP results in an increase of the modulus of elasticity but a decrease in tensile strength. The storage modulus of the extruded blends was found to increase with the addition of LCP.