Shish-kebab-like cylindrulite structures resulted from periodical shear-induced crystallization of isotactic polypropylene

In this study, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) samples were prepared by conventional injection molding (CIM) and pressure vibration injection molding (PVIM), in which a periodical shear field was imposed on the iPP melt during the cooling solidification. The distribution of supermolecular structures of samples was investigated by Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Results show that the through-the thickness-morphology of sample prepared by CIM features a typical skin-core structure, as a result of general shear-induced crystallization. This structure can be divided into three layers, including a skin layer in which the shish-kebab structure was found, a transition region with deformed spherulite structure and a core layer with spherulitic structure. However, the morphology of the sample prepared by PVIM, as a result of periodical shear-induced crystallization, features a richer and fascinating supermolecular structure and can not be roughly divided into three layers. A region full of shish-kebab-like cylindrulite structures was found between the transition region and the core layer, which is rare to be seen in conventional injection molding. Based on their various core structures, two kinds of shish-kebab-like cylindrulites were defined: one is multi-fibril-core cylindrulite of which core is an assembly of multiple fibrils, and the other is single-fibril-core cylindrulite of which the core just contains a single fibril. Based on the investigated results, a schematic illustration is proposed to depict the through-the thickness-distribution of supermolecular structure of iPP sample prepared by PVIM. The mechanism of the formation of the two kinds of shish-kebab-like cylindrulite structures is also depicted by a schematic illustration, and it was discussed in terms of periodical shear-induced crystallization. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.