FIBRE-FORMING OF ETHYL CELLULOSE IN POLYPROPYLENE MELT

Ethyl cellulose (EC), taken as a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer, was blended with polypropylene (PP), followed by injection molding. Fibre-forming of EC in the PP matrix is analyzed,based on the rheological data,dynamic mechanical analysis and fracture micrographs of EC/PP blends. The addition of maleated PP, for the modification of the interphasial interaction between the PP matrix and the EC fibrils, did not impair the fiber formation substantially.