Infrared dichroism, molecular structure, and deformation mechanisms of isotactic polypropylene

Abstract

Infrared dichroism measurements can be used to study the process-structure-property relations of a polymer provided the transition-moment angle and phase absorption characteristics of the individual absorption frequencies are known. The present study describes experimental procedures for determining these intrinsic frequency characteristics using isotactic polypropylene as the semicrystalline polymer example. The study further demonstrates the use of this intrinsic information for characterizing the process-structure-property behavior of deformed isotactic polypropylene films. This reveals remarkable similarities in the observed structural response of isotactic polypropylene to different deformation processes.