Size Effect of Layered Double Hydroxide Platelets on the Crystallization Behavior of Isotactic Polypropylene

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) platelets with nanosized and microsized level were synthesized and used as fillers in an isotactic polypropylene (PP) matrix. The nucleation and crystallization behavior of PP/LDH composites (denoted as 1-PPLx and 2-PPLx for composites containing nanosized and microsized LDH, respectively; x represents the mass percentage of LDH) was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy techniques. It is found that the crystallization temperature of PP/LDH composites is largely enhanced and the half crystallization time is reduced remarkably relative to pure PP, especially for 2-PPLx composite. The 2-PPLx composite exhibits stronger heterogeneous nucleating ability and faster crystallization rate than 1-PPLx samples with the same LDH loading. In addition, the crystallized PP/LDH composites possess significantly enhanced thermal stability, gas barrier, and flame-retardant properties relative to neat PP, which would show a broad application prospect in engineering plastics and packing industry.