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Plywood‐like structures of injection‐molded polypropylene
Author(s) -
Wang Guanglong,
Cao Junhui,
Hou Shusen,
Ding Peng,
Yu Weixin,
Yang Zhijun,
Chen Jingbo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.25754
Subject(s) - materials science , polypropylene , perpendicular , composite material , molding (decorative) , toughness , crystallization , melt flow index , shear (geology) , nucleation , crystal (programming language) , polymer , chemical engineering , programming language , chemistry , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , copolymer
N,N′‐dicyclohexyl‐2,6‐naphthalenedicarboxamide, a commercial nucleating agent, can dissolve into molten polypropylene (PP) and self‐organize into needle‐like crystals when the melt temperature reaches 260°C. As temperature decreases, PP molecules crystallize on the surface of the needle‐like crystals with their c‐axis perpendicular to the long axis of the crystal. Under a flow field in injection molding, PP chains are parallel or perpendicular to the flow direction at different depths owing to the difference in crystallization kinetics and applied shear rate in the melt, forming a plywood‐like material. This unique structure can simultaneously improve the toughness and strength of plastic parts. Herein, we present a novel method of producing high‐performance plastic articles based on general plastics by manipulating their morphology and structure.