Effect of stereoregularity on the structure and thermophysical characteristics of isotactic polypropylene

The structure, thermophysical, and thermomechanical characteristics of metallocene-synthesized isotactic PPs of different molecular masses containing different amounts of stereodefects have been studied. The degree of crystallinity and the content of a and g modifications in slowly cooled and melt quenched films are estimated by three independent methods, i.e., X-ray analysis, DSC, macroscopic density measurements, and changes in their phase structure upon annealing and orientation are analyzed. As the content of stereodefects increases, the fraction of g crystallites in the films increases, while the degree of crystallinity decreases (down to 5%). The formation of the g phase is assumed to be related to the epitaxial crystallization; this process is assisted by stresses induced on chains upon slow melt crystallization and after annealing of the oriented samples. This evidence allows the analysis of structural and thermodynamic characteristics of thermoplastic and elastic samples of the isotactic PP.