Polypropylene PP
INTRODUCTION TO POLYPROPYLENE
The global health emergency we are experiencing today has highlighted two very delicate issues: hygiene and safety. It is important to carefully follow all forms of precaution in relation to daily cleaning and deep hygiene of the environments in which we live as well as the objects with which we are in contact.
In this scenario, the modern features of polypropylene emerge yet again in the current situation in which the consumer, in addition to aesthetic taste and comfort, gives the idea of "well-being" and health an even greater value.
In addition to the important prerogatives to be totally recyclable and to guarantee the best degree of sustainability among all natural and synthetic fibres (production requires lower temperatures than other polymers and reduced impact in terms of water, energy and CO2 emissions), polypropylene yarn is particularly suitable for the current health situation as it can be easily sanitized with 70% hydroalcoholic solution or with sodium hypochlorite up to 0.5%. This is the legal requirement in relation to sanitization and after tests conducted in our laboratory on fabrics, including intense colours, as well as light and dark, total resistance of the colour to washing and mechanical actions emerged.
To satisfy the new demands in terms of hygiene and environmental protection, the time has come to consider polypropylene as a fibre suitable for INDOOR use as well as for contract, residential or community use.
Also important with polypropylene is its versatility. It can be tailored to many fabrication methods and applications. Excellent chemical resistance, the lowest density, highest melting point (in the family of olefin fibers), and moderate cost makes it an important fiber in industrial applications. However, the poor dyeability and texturizability have limited polypropylene's applications in conventional textile industry. With the introduction of fiber denier textured yarn its use in apparel sector is becoming inevitable along with its main outlet in the industrial sector.
When polypropylene was first introduced into the market in 1950s, the product is non-crystallizable, which result in low melting point. With the introduction of isotactic commercial polypropylene a considerable increase in the crystallinity and melting point was achieved. Polypropylene has registered continued worldwide market share growth in recent years and it is predicated that consumption will still grow as polypropylene increasingly are used as substitution for other materials such as glass, metal, and some engineering plastics.