Handbook of Nucleating Agents

Handbook of Nucleating Agents, Third Edition provides information on how to increase the production rate, modify structure and morphology, improve mechanical performance, and reduce the haze of polymeric products with proper selection of nucleating agents (and/or the so-called clarifying agents). It also analyzes important publications found in open and patent literature, with special attention given to the findings of the last five years which brought many new important developments. The book is divided into 14 chapters, each of which concentrates on the essential performance of nucleating agents. Chemical origin and related properties of nucleating agents are analyzed in general terms to highlight the differences in their properties. The specific agents are discussed in Databook of Nucleating Agents, which is published as a separate book to help in the selection of products available in the commercial markets and analyze the properties of different products. Information in Databook and Handbook is totally different without any repetition. The next six chapters of the Handbook discuss the most essential theoretical knowledge required for the proper selection and use of nucleating and clarifying agents. These include polymer crystallization with and without nucleating agents, parameters of crystallization, essential influences on the nucleation processes, measures of nucleation efficiency, mechanisms of nucleation, and effective methods of dispersion of nucleating agents. The following three chapters concentrate on the application aspects in different formulations. Here, extensive use is being made of patent literature and research papers available for different applications. Discussed are nineteen polymer processing methods that require the use of nucleating agents, forty different polymers that are known to use nucleating agents, and sixteen groups of commercial products in which nucleating agents found applications. This shows that the modern use of nucleating agents is widespread in industry. The last three chapters discuss the effects of nucleating agents on the physical and mechanical properties of materials, the essential analytical techniques used to analyze systems containing nucleating agents, and health and safety in the use of nucleating agents.