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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Published on: September 17, 2017
Molecular ordering and molecular dynamics in isotactic-polypropylene characterized by solid state NMR
Toshikazu Miyoshi1, Al Mamun, Wei Hu
1Research Institute of Nanotechnology, National Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 5-1 Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan. t-miyoshi@aist.go.jp
Crystallization temperature significantly impacts isotactic polypropylene (iPP) structure. Lowering supercooling enhances lamellar thickness and ordered packing, influencing molecular dynamics and lamellar thickening.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Solid-State Physics
Background:
- The crystallization behavior of polymers like isotactic polypropylene (iPP) is crucial for their material properties.
- Understanding the interplay between molecular packing, dynamics, and lamellar structure at different crystallization temperatures is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the order-disorder phenomenon, molecular dynamics, and lamellar thickness of iPP crystallized at various supercooling temperatures.
- To determine the equilibrium melting temperature and analyze the factors influencing lamellar thickening.
Main Methods:
- Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SS NMR) spectroscopy, including high-power TPPM decoupling and T(1rhoH) filtering.
- Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) to measure average lamellar thickness.
- Center-bands Only Detection of Exchange (CODEX) NMR for molecular dynamics.
Main Results:
- Lamellar thickness (
) increases with decreasing supercooling temperature (DeltaT). - Ordered packing fraction (f(order)) increases with decreasing DeltaT, reaching a maximum of 62% at DeltaT = 34 K.
- Molecular dynamics (helical jump motions) are influenced by DeltaT, with constraints increasing with lamellar thickness and packing order.
Conclusions:
- Decreasing supercooling promotes ordered packing and lamellar thickening in iPP.
- Polymer chain trajectory and molecular dynamics play significant roles in the lamellar thickening process.
- The study provides insights into the relationship between crystallization conditions, molecular structure, and dynamics in semi-crystalline polymers.
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