Crystallization and melting of isotactic polypropylene crystallized from quiescent melt and stress-induced localized melt

Temperature dependency of crystalline lamellar thickness during crystallization and subsequent melting in isotactic polypropylene crystallized from both quiescent molten state and stress-induced localized melt was investigated using small angle X-ray scattering technique. Both cases yield well-defined crystallization lines where inverse lamellar thickness is linearly dependent on crystallization temperature with the stretching-induced crystallization line shifted slightly to smaller thickness direction than the isothermal crystallization one indicating both crystallization processes being mediated a mesomorphic phase. However, crystallites obtained via different routes (quiescent melt or stress-induced localized melt) show different melting behaviors. The one from isothermal crystallization melted directly without significant changing in lamellar thickness yielding well-defined melting line whereas stress-induced crystallites followed a recrystallization line. Such results can be associated with the different extent of stabilization of crystallites obtained through different crystallization routes. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017, 55, 957-963