β-Nucleated Polypropylene: Preparation, Nucleating Efficiency, Composite, and Future Prospects

Abstract

The β-crystals of polypropylene have a metastable crystal form. The formation of β-crystals can improve the toughness and heat resistance of a material. The introduction of a β-nucleating agent, over many other methods, is undoubtedly the most reliable method through which to obtain β-PP. Furthermore, in this study, certain newly developed β-nucleating agents and their compounds in recent years are listed in detail, including the less-mentioned polymer β-nucleating agents and their nucleation characteristics. In addition, the various influencing factors of β-nucleation efficiency, including the polymer matrix and processing conditions, are analyzed in detail and the corresponding improvement measures are summarized. Finally, the composites and synergistic toughening effects are discussed, and three potential future research directions are speculated upon based on previous research.

An efficient β-nucleating agent with high lattice matching rate for plate-like crystallization of polypropylene random copolymer

“…Larger inner diameter pipe can be manufactured to increase sufficiently the volume capacity, which provides a solution to the typical problem of low-pressure water supply. 10 …”

“…Larger inner diameter pipe can be manufactured to increase sufficiently the volume capacity, which provides a solution to the typical problem of low-pressure water supply. 10 b-NA is undoubtedly a key factor in the preparation of PP-RCT. At present, there are many typical kinds of b nucleating agents for polypropylene, including inorganic salts, 11,12 amides, [13][14][15] carboxylates, [16][17][18] rare earths 19,20 and even polymers.…”

The Crystallization Morphology and Conformational Changes of Polypropylene Random Copolymer Induced by a Novel β-Nucleating Agent

“…Since the random insertion of an ethylene copolymerization unit destroys the crystallization of the propylene sequence, the thickness and crystallinity of PPR decreases significantly [ 1 ]. Compared with PPH, PPR has higher toughness, higher ductility, moderate strength, and excellent transparency [ 2 , 3 ], which makes it widely used in all walks of life [ 4 , 5 ]. PPR needs to be processed from a molten state, and undergoes a crystallization process to become an industrial product.…”

Crystallization of the β-Form of Polypropylene from the Melt with Reduced Entanglement of Macromolecules

“…Isotactic polypropylene represents polymorphic materials, i.e., polymers able to crystallize in various crystallographic forms, called α, β, γ, and smectic modifications [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The most common form is the monoclinic α-form.…”

“…Among the nucleating agents used are calcium pimelate [ 14 , 21 , 24 ], γ-quinacridon, or N , N ′-dicyclohexylterephthalamide [ 25 ]. The addition of the above nucleants also resulted in an increase in the non-isothermal crystallization temperature, a shortening of the isothermal crystallization time, and a reduction in the size of the formed spherulites [ 3 , 14 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”