Synthesis and Characterization of a Sorbitol Based Clarifying Agent and Investigation of Its Effects on the Optical Properties of Polypropylene

In this study, synthesis of a sorbitol based additive is reported which nowadays is used as a nucleating agent, also its effects on clarifying of polypropylene as a highly used material in plastic industry are investigated. The chemical structure of the additive was approved using IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, the appropriate performance of the additive as a nucleating agent in crystallization properties of polypropylene was revealed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Measurement of color attributes and spectral reflectance and transmittance of the clarified polypropylene samples showed that all samples were colorless. In addition, characterization of the optical properties of the samples showed a 12.5 % and 33 % decrease in opacity and haze of the clarified samples, respectively.