title: Fibril formation of 1,3:2,4-di(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol in a polypropylene melt.
abstract: Binary mixtures of 1,3:2,4-di(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene) sorbitol (DMDBS) within the melt of polypropylene (PP) were studied at DMDBS contents of 0.4 and 1.0 wt %. DMDBS serves as a nucleating agent in PP crystallization by formation of a nanofibrillar network. The kinetics of the DMDBS solidification process within the PP melt and the ensuing nanofibrillar structure were studied by in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis combined with imaging by electron microscopy. The dynamic lag of the fibrillar structure formation kinetics and its temperature dependence indicate a nucleation and growth mechanism, controlled by the rate of nucleation. Investigation of the fibrillar structure by electron microscopy indicates a complex structure in which long and thin fibrils (less than 100 nm in cross-section) are composed of thinner nanofibrils (less than 10 nm in cross-section).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lipp
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shuster
authors.forename: Ann E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.forename: Yachin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cohen