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Thermal analysis and successive self-nucleation and annealing (SSA) treatment of synthesized bimodal polypropylene (BPP) reactor blends using homogeneous binary metallocene catalyst

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Abstract

Several polypropylene (PP) reactor blends were synthesized using homogenous binary metallocene catalytic systems composed of isospecific (I): rac-Me2Si(2-Me-4-Ph In)2ZrCl2 and oscillating (II): (2-Ph In)2ZrCl2 catalysts. The reactor blends were analyzed using gel permeation chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry. All the blends showed bimodal molecular weight distribution, and the MWs were shifted toward higher values compared with PPs synthesized with each of individual catalysts showing some probable interactions between the two active sites. Self-nucleation and annealing treatment on hexane-insoluble–heptane-soluble parts of the PP reactor blends showed that as the II/I molar ratio increases from 0 to 40 in the binary system, multiplicity of the endotherm peaks increases from 1 to 7, which is indicative of the presence of various lamellar thicknesses in the samples. Wide-angle X-ray scattering studies on the PP reactor blends confirmed that the blends have isotacticities and crystallinities between those of polymers obtained by the individual catalysts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Iran National Petrochemical Company—Research and Technology (NPC-RT) for financial support of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute (IPPI), P.O. Box 14965/115, Tehran, Iran

    Javid Vaezi, Mehdi Nekoomanesh & Hossein-Ali Khonakdar

  2. National Petrochemical Company, Petrochemical Research and Technology Company, P.O. Box 1435884711, Tehran, Iran

    Javid Vaezi

  3. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, 01067, Dresden, Germany

    Hossein-Ali Khonakdar

  4. School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11155-4563, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Hassan Jafari

  5. Department of Polymer Engineering, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box 71993-3, Shiraz, Iran

    Gholam-Reza Nejabat

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  1. Javid Vaezi
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Correspondence to Hossein-Ali Khonakdar.

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Vaezi, J., Nekoomanesh, M., Khonakdar, HA. et al. Thermal analysis and successive self-nucleation and annealing (SSA) treatment of synthesized bimodal polypropylene (BPP) reactor blends using homogeneous binary metallocene catalyst. J Therm Anal Calorim 130, 985–995 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-017-6415-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-017-6415-0

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