AFM imaging of interfacial morphologies in carbon-fiber reinforced isotactic polypropylene

G.J. Vancso, G. Liu, J. Karger-Kocsis, J. Varga

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Abstract

The morphology of high-modulus carbon-fiber (HM-CF) reinforced isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was investigated for the first time by atomic force microscopy (AFM) using chemically etched specimens. The images exhibited α-transcrystalline morphology for samples crystallized from quiescent melts, nucleated by HM-CF. In melts sheared by fiber pulling, αβ-cylindritic columnar morphology was observed in agreement with earlier thermo-optical studies. AFM images in the interfacial region of the β-cylindrites unveiled fine morphological details of α-row nuclei. Based on the observations, we concluded that in β-cylindrites, the lamellar growth in α-row nuclei occurs during epitaxial crystallization on bundles of extended iPP chains which form during shearing of the polymer matrix by fiber pull.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)181-186
JournalColloid and polymer science
Issue number275
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1997

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