Find in Library

The influence of poly(acrylonitrile&#8722;butadiene&#8722;styrene) (ABS) as a special &#946;-nucleating agent on the impact and tensile properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) were investigated by dynamic rheological measurements, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mechanical properties tests. It is found that the &#946; nucleation efficiency of ABS is closely related to its concentration, dispersibility, and molding method for the iPP/ABS blends. The content of &#946;-crystal (<i>K</i>_&#946;) rises with the incorporation of ABS and shows a maximum with the introduction of 1% ABS for compression-molded blends and 2% ABS for injection-molded blends, respectively, which is followed by a decrease in <i>K</i>_&#946;. The addition of a small amount of ABS has a significant reinforcing and toughening effect on iPP. Compared with the compression-molded samples, the ABS dispersed phase in injection-molded samples has a smaller particle size and a larger specific surface area, which are favorable for stress transmission and higher &#946; nucleation efficiency, and therefore, better tensile and impact properties can be expected.