Transcrystalline Morphology of an in situ Microfibrillar Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Poly(propylene) Blend Fabricated through a Slit Extrusion Hot Stretching‐Quenching Process

Abstract

Abstract Summary: Isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) transcrystallites are obtained in in situ microfibrillar polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/iPP blends during a slit extrusion‐hot stretching‐quenching process. Based on morphological information from X‐ray scattering and microscopy, three nucleation origins are proposed in microfibrillar reinforced blends under an elongational flow field: (a) the classical row nuclei model; (b) fiber nuclei; (c) nuclei induced by fiber assistant alignment. The last model provides a natural explanation for the case that transcrystallites only occur in some microfiber reinforced blends under flow rather than without the external field. AFM image for the transcrystalline layer of the microfibrillar blend. image AFM image for the transcrystalline layer of the microfibrillar blend.