The Influence of Calcium-Stearate-Coated Calcium Carbonate and Talc on the Quiescent and Flow-Induced Crystallization of Isotactic Poly(propylene)

The influence of Ca-stearate-coated CaCO(3) and talc on the quiescent and flow-induced crystallization of iPP is studied using different methods. Comparison of rheometry and DSC shows that rheometry is an interesting tool to monitor crystallization kinetics. It is observed that the Ca-stearate coating degrades at commonly used annealing temperatures, influencing the crystallization behavior of the CaCO(3)-containing polymer. WAXD indicates that the CaCO(3) does not significantly influence the degree of crystallinity. As shear intensifies, both the pure and particle-containing polymers crystallize faster; however, their behavior also becomes increasingly similar. There are indications that shear influences the organization of the CaCO(3) aggregates.