Crystallization behaviors and foaming properties of diatomite-filled polypropylene composites

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics and foaming properties of polypropylene (PP) filled with various contents of diatomite were investigated. The results showed that the diatomite had strong effects on the PP crystallization kinetics, which significantly increased the crystallization temperature and reduced crystallite size. These were attributed to the nucleation effect of the diatomite particles and the complex interface properties between the PP chains and diatomite particles. Non-isothermal crystallization can be well described by the Mo’s method. The non-isothermal crystallization activation energy calculated by the Kissinger’s method increased with increased content of diatomite. The foamed PP composites, in particular, the PP composites filled with 10 wt% diatomite had better cell morphology ascribed to the facilitated crystallization and increased polymer melt strength compared with the foamed pure PP.