Effect of Structural Inhomogeneity on Mechanical Behavior of Injection Molded Polypropylene Investigated with Microbeam X-ray Scattering

Relationship between the structure of injection-molded isotactic polypropylene and its tensile mechanical properties, necking and fracture behaviors in particular, was investigated in terms of micrometer-scale structural inhomogeneity of nanometer- and subnanometer-scale structures. To clarify the micrometer-scale inhomogeneity, we employed scanning microbeam wide-angle X-ray diffraction and small-angle X-ray scattering technique. Four isotactic polypropylene samples were studied, produced using different injection-condition and thermal treatments. The results of scanning microbeam X-ray scattering measurements showed the presence of two types of micrometer-scale structural inhomogeneity in addition to the orientation of molecules: the distribution of polymorphs and of crystalline ordering. The results of scanning microbeam X-ray scattering of deformed sample showed the disappearance of the beta-form isotactic polypropylene crystals at the outer regions accompanied by the plastic deformation. It is indicated that the inhomogeneous distribution of crystalline ordering and the existence of different polymorphs are highly related to the tensile mechanical behavior.