| abstract |
A blend of two partly incompatible polymers is extruded to form a film under conditions such that the alloy in the blend comprises fibrils extending mainly in one direction, the width and thickness of each fibril having a mean lower than 5 µm, the fibrils being formed of the polymer component having a higher melting point, and the fibrils being surrounded by a matrix of the second polymer, which has a lower coefficient of elasticity. The special morphology is achieved by providing grids (301, 302) in a grid chamber upstream of the exit orifice of the extrusion die, and by sequential hot stretching at a temperature at which the higher melting polymer is at least partly crystalline, and cold stretching, at which both polymers are substantially solid. The second, cold stretching step, is carried out under conditions to give an elongation at break at 20°C of at least 25%. The films are of particular value for forming crosslaminates having high shock resistance. Preferably the polymer forming fibrils is polypropylene and the polymer forming the matrix is an ethylene polymer, preferably LLDPE. |