Epitaxial act of sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis-(4,6-di-t-butylphenylene)phosphate on isotactic polypropylene

Sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis-(4,6-di-t-butylphenylene)phosphate(NA-11) is widely used as a nucleating agent in the processing of isotactic polypropylene(iPP). To reveal its act as the nucleating agent on iPP, the crystallization behavior of NA-11 on isotactic polypropylene was investigated. NA-11 was crystallized on the oriented, thin iPP film from the solution in dimethyformamide at various temperatures. iPP was also crystallized from the melt on NA-11 crystals grown from ethanol. The samples thus prepared were examined by electron microscopy. NA-11 epitaxially crystallized on the iPP substrate at high temperatures, performing the crystallographical relationship, [010]NA-11//[001]iPP and (001)NA-11//(010)iPP, and iPP on the NA-11 crystals with the same orientational relationship.