Polymer, Vol.49, No.20, 4328-4331, 2008
Nucleation of branches in elastomeric polypropylene
The formation of a crosshatched morphology during crystallization of an isotactic polypropylene with low crystallinity is studied in detail. Here, a lamella seems to grow through another nearly perpendicular lamella that was crystallized before. The crystallization was observed with in situ scanning force microscopy with a temporal resolution of 3 min per image. After crystallization the volume structure was imaged by nanotomography. A detailed scheme for the nucleation of branches is proposed. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.