The effect of compatibilizers on the morphology of isotactic polypropylene/linear low-density polyethylene blends

The morphology of isotactic polypropylene (iPP)/linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends, compatibilized with ethylene-propylene block copolymer (EP) and two types of styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS), one containing maleic anhydride, the other no reactive sites, has been investigated by using small-angle X-ray scattering by evaluating their interface distribution functions. To characterize the crystallization behaviour of the blends, their spherulitic growth rates have been measured under the polarizing microscope and nucleation and crystallization kinetics data have been evaluated. The addition of LLDPE to iPP alone has a pronounced effect on the lamellar morphology of the iPP. Adding compatibilizer to the iPP/LLDPE blend leads to a further decrease of the lamellar thickness. Concurrently the nucleation density increases while the Avrami exponent drops from n2.3 for iPP to n=0.74 for the iPP/LLDPE/SEBS blend. It is concluded that the compatibilizer causes the polyethylene component to become more highly dispersed in the polypropylene matrix.