Crystal orientation of β-phase isotactic polypropylene induced by magnetic orientation of N,N′-dicyclohexyl-2,6-naphthalenedicarboxamide

Melt crystallization of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), containing crystallites of N,N'-dicyclohexyl-2,6-naphthalenedicarboxamide (DCNDCA) as a nucleating agent of the the beta-phase iPP crystal, is carried out under a magnetic field (6 T) to obtain the alignment of the iPP crystal induced by magnetic alignment of DCNDCA. In a previous paper, DCNDCA was reported to undergo magnetic alignment in a liquid suspension. The obtained iPP sample exhibits alignment of the beta-phase crystal with the c-axis aligned perpendicular to the magnetic field. The comparison of this alignment of iPP with the reported magnetic alignment of DCNDCA indicates that the beta-phase crystal grows epitaxially on the DCNDCA crystal. The (330)(beta) plane of the iPP crystal lies on the bc-plane of the DCNDCA crystal in which the direction of the c-axis of the iPP coincides with the direction of the b-axis of the DCNDCA crystal. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.