HMSPP

HIGH MELT STRENGTH POLYPROPYLENE

Elongational viscosity of polymer melts can be categorized as 'strain thinning' or 'strain

hardening', and is related to macromolecular structure and the amount of 'molecular stress'
that can be induced into a polymer melt by deformation. Linear PP melts s how 'strain
thinning' (low molecular stress), while long -chain branching leads to high molecular stress
and 'strain hardening'.

For linear PP, melt strength, as defined by maximum drawdown force in a tensile experiment,
increases with increasing zero -shear viscosity and increasing weight average molecular
weight. At lower melt temperatures, melt strength can be enhanced by flow induced
crystallization. Long -chain branched is expected to have a superior melt strength relative to
a linear PP of comparable ze ro-shear viscosity due to the 'strain -hardening' effect.

Elongational viscosity and melt strength play an important role in all processing operations
where extensional deformations occur.

In the last years, a new family of modified PP was

developed, the well -known high melt s trength
polypropylene (HMS -PP). This product is char acterize d by
a small content of long -ch ain bran ches and high
polydispersity; the presence of long -chains h as an
enormous in fluence on its melt properties.

Due to its inherent n ature, polypropylene lacks melt

strength. HMSPP contains long chain bran ches and
consequently exhibits s ignificantly high melt strength .
These HMSPP grades offer unique balan ce of process -
ability and high melt elas ticity required for f oaming,
thermoforming, and extrusion.
There are many r outes for production of HMS-PP. It is
very known th at the resistance of the melted (RF)
increases with the molecular weight. Another theoretical
possibility for the in crease of RF would be increasing the
interlacement level. As PP is a line ar polymery this
possibility was little explored.
The in crease of the molecular weight causes the
decrease of the index of fluidity. The ramification
formation of long chain doesn't alter the fluidity ind ex
and als o improves the extensibility.
HMSPP has as characteristic the high resis tan ce of th e
melted allied to great extensibility.
¤ HMS labels the product technology and process
patented developed by IPEN in partnership with BRASKEM
and EMBRARAD

¤ I t consists of a new type of irrad iated PP char acter ized

by having a ramified mole cular s tructure

¤ The market obje ctive is all the processes of PP

transformation th at deman d a large amount of elongation
of melted PP

¤ Incre ase of molecular we ight and creation of long

ramifications are the s tate of the art to solve the
problems of PP process

The main applications of H MSPP are: - extrusion,

compound foils extrusion, films, thermoforming,
coatings, foams and blow. The melted low resis tance has
limited the p articipation of PP in these segments th at
impedes or harms those processes.

HMSPP provides more elas ticity to the polypropylene in

the melted ph ase. That material, known by HMS -PP (high
melt strength polypropyle ne), it is winning market in all
Europe, for environmental reasons, where the industr y
started to apply in the production of fo ams for several
uses, mainly in d ashboard of veh icles, because they are
easier to be recycled. The pieces produced employin g the
mixture of several other plastic resins offers man y
obstacles to recycling could generate unfe asible.