Quantitative structural characterization of the deformation and shrinkage of isotactic polypropylene fibers and films

Abstract

A quantitative determination has been made of the structural elements which control deformation and shrinkage processes in isotactic polypropylene fibers and films. It is found that strain processes such as fabrication draw and shrinkage are controlled by the noncrystalline region of this highly crystalline polymer. Quantitative structure-property correlations are obtained for the polymer, which reveal the interactions between temperature, strain, and orientation. The thermal activation energy of the noncrystalline chains is also determined from these solid-state structure measurements.