In situ synthesis of calcium pimelate as a highly dispersed β-nucleating agent for improving the crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene

The reaction precursors pimelic acid (Pi) and calcium stearate (CaSt) were added in situ during extrusion of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) to generate self-dispersed calcium pimelate (CaPi[IS]). The results reveal that the nucleating agents (NAs) synthesized in situ obviously affected the nucleation effect in iPP. The crystallization, mechanical properties and melting behavior of nucleated iPP were investigated. The crystallization temperature (T-c) of iPP modified with CaPi(IS) increased by 4-5 degrees C when compared to that of pure iPP. Especially, when the addition amount of CaPi(IS) in iPP was 0.30 wt%, the relative beta-crystal concentration of iPP/CaPi(IS) reached the highest level of 96.47%, 22.71% higher than that of iPP/CaPi. However, Pi and CaSt has hardly impact on the nucleation effect in iPP. The mechanical properties of iPP show that CaPi and CaPi(IS) have excellent toughening effect on iPP while Pi and CaSt greatly improved the stiffness of iPP. Furthermore, the dispersion of these NAs in iPP was investigated by scanning electronic microscope (SEM). It can be clearly seen that the CaPi(IS) particles are uniformly distributed in the iPP after magnification.