Hierarchic Structure and Mechanical Property of Short Glass Fiber/Isotactic Polypropylene Composites Containing β-Nucleation Agent

The hierarchic structure of short glass fiber reinforced isotactic polypropylene (GF/iPP) composites with beta-nucleating agent were investigated by wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy measurements. It was found that the content of beta-crystals was deceased due to the a-heterogeneous nucleation of glass fibers, yet its perfection was deteriorated due to the heterogeneous distribution of glass fibers caused by the processing external field. These factors affect the impact strength of GF/iPP composites. Our work paves the way to obtain high-performance GF/iPP composites.