Role of multi-wall carbon nanotube network in composites to crystallization of isotactic polypropylene matrix

The composites (iPP/CNTs) made of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by solution blending. To improve compatibility between CNTs and iPP and to enhance dispersion of CNTs in iPP matrix, CNTs were chemically modified by grafting alkyl chains. The chemically modified CNTs had about 6 wt% grafted alkyl chains. Rheological measurements indicated that CNTs caused gelation in iPP/CNTs due to CNT network formation and the critical gelation CNT concentration was about 7.4 wt%, which was considered to be high due to the low CNT aspect ratio in this study. Crystallization behaviors of iPP/CNTs were studied by using optical microscopy (OM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Radial growth rates of spherulites during isothermal crystallization of iPP/CNTs with CNT concentrations less than 2.0 wt% measured by using OM showed decreasing trends with increasing CNT concentration. Avrami analysis of the exothermic heat flow curves during isothermal crystallization of iPP/CNTs measured by DSC indicated that crystallization rates were accelerated when CNT concentrations were lower than the critical gelation concentration, because CNTs mainly functioned as nucleating agents for crystallization, while crystallization rates did not change obviously when CNT concentrations were higher than the critical gelation concentration, because CNT network could form and mainly functioned to provide restriction to mobility and diffusion of iPP chains to crystal growth fronts.