Mesophase formation in poly(propylene-ran-1-butene) by rapid cooling

Abstract The effect of random insertion of low amount of 1-butene of less than about 11 mol% into the isotactic polypropylene chain on structure formation at non-isothermal crystallization at different rate of cooling was investigated by X-ray scattering, density measurements, and atomic force and polarizing optical microscopy. Emphasis is put on the evaluation of the condition of crystallization for replacement of lamellar crystals by mesomorphic nodules on increasing the cooling rate/supercooling. In the polypropylene homopolymer, mesophase formation occurs on cooling at rates larger about 150–200 K s −1 , while in case of poly(propylene- ran -1-butene) mesophase formation is observed on …