Influence of molecular weight distribution on the structure and properties of melt-spun polypropylene filaments

The role of molecular weight distribution on the spinnability, structure, and properties of melt-spun isotactic polypropylene filaments was studied with the aim of clearly distinguishing the effect of the breadth of the distribution from the effect of the average molecular weight and resin melt flow rate (MFR). Nine resins were chosen for this purpose, ranging in MFR from 16 to 78 and in polydispersity from 2.6 to 5.4. It was observed that the spinnability, structure, and properties of the spun filaments were all strong functions of the breadth of the distribution. Spinnability decreased with increasing breadth. At given spinning conditions and polydispersity, an increase in the weight-average molecular weight (decrease in MFR) produces an increase in crystallinity, birefringence, tensile strength, and tensile modulus. But at given spinning conditions and resin MFR, broadening the molecular weight distribution (increasing the polydispersity) produces an increase in crystallinity, tensile modulus, and elongation-to-break while birefringence and tensile strength decrease. The major influence of the polydispersity on the structure and properties developed was attributed to its effect on both the elongational viscosity of the resin and the ability of high molecular weight tails in the distribution to influence the stress-induced crystallization that occurs in the spinline. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.