A Rheological Investigation of the Crystallization Kinetics of Syndiotactic Polypropylene of Varying Degree of Tacticity

Abstract The crystallization behavior of five Syndiotactic Polypropylene (sPP) samples of varying degree of tacticity has been studied by means of rheological techniques and compared to the results of more standard DSC measurements. Small Amplitude Oscillatory Shear (SAOS) measurements have been performed on a controlled stress rotational rheometer equipped with a nitrogen-fed, forced convection oven, which allows for good temperature stability and relatively high heating/cooling rates. Both non-isothermal and isothermal crystallization tests have been carried out. The former proved useful to determine the melting and crystallization temperature of the polymers. The latter were exploited to determine the temperature dependence of the polymer crystallization rate. The results showed the strong influence of the degree of tacticity on the crystallization behaviour of sPP. In particular, it was confirmed that a decrease in the stereo-regularity of the polymer chain considerably shifts the crystallization proc...