Dielectric relaxation studies of dipolar aromatics in polyethylene. II. Oriented low-density polyethylene

Stretched polyethylene has been used for several years by organic spectroscopists as a means of orienting isolated aromatic molecules. Dielectric relaxation studies are reported which consider dipolar aromatic molecules dissolved in stretched polyethylene in order to learn more about the environment of these oriented molecules. The research builds on earlier studies of the dielectric relaxation behavior of dipolar aromatic molecules dissolved in unoriented low density polyethylene. Studies demonstrate that molecules in the amorphous phase are oriented at temperatures below the glass transition, both the β and γ relaxations being orientation dependent. It is shown through studies of oriented rods that large numbers of the orientable molecules are immobilized by the oriented polyethylene and cannot relax. An essential criterion for immobilization to occur is that molecules exhibit geometrical symmetry.     

Characterization and properties of polyethylene blends II. Linear low-density with conventional low-density polyethylene

Melting and crystallization phenomena in blends of a linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) (ethylene butene-1 copolymer) with a conventional low-density (branched) polyethylene (LDPE) are explored with emphasis on composition by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and light scattering (LS). Two endotherms are evident in the DSC studies of the blends, which suggests the formation of separate crystals. Light-scattering studies indicate that the blend system is predominantly volume filled by the LLDPE component whereby the LDPE component crystallizes as a secondary process within the domain of the LLDPE spherulites. In contrast to those of the LLDPE/HDPE blends, the mechanical and optical relaxation behavior of the LLDPE/LDPE blends are dominated by the LLDPE component in the vicinities of γ and β regions, whereas the trend reverses at high temperature α regions. This observation is accounted for on the basis of the relative restrictions imposed by the deformation of spherulites (which are primarily made up of the LLDPE component) at different time scales.     

Electron trapping in low-density polyethylene

Thermoluminescence (TL) emission from low-density polyethylene has been investigated. The glow curves of gas-free samples x-irradiated at ?190°C and heated to room temperature were found to contain three peaks numbered I, II, and III in order of increasing temperature, in agreement with earlier results. The sites of all traps are accessible to absorbed gases; in the presence of air, O₂, N₂ or Ar, “gas” traps are formed, resulting in the appearance of an additional peak IV in the glow curve at a temperature between peaks I and II, large reductions in the intensities of peaks II and III, and various changes in peak I. The peak I, II, and III traps are formed from particular chain configurations occurring in the chain-fold regions of the samples, these configurations being broken up by different forms of molecular motion within the chains. It is unlikely that the peak IV traps are just the gas molecules themselves; they are probably formed from new chain configurations occurring in the amorphous regions of the samples in the presence of the gas, the properties of the gas influencing the associated TL intensity and emission temperature. These traps are also broken up by molecular motion. The samples can be divided into two main types, differing mainly in the height of peak I relative to peak II, which is of nearly constant intensity in all samples. We suggest that two types of trap which are not interconvertible are associated with peak I, and that the dominant type in a given sample depends on the fine details of the sample fabrication process.     

Long-chain branching in low-density polyethylene

A method is given for the analysis of long-chain branching in polymers by using combined GPC and intrinsic viscosity measurements. A computer program was written to evaluate branching indices by a tabular, iterative method. The method was applied to the evaluation of long-chain branching in low-density polyethylene.     

Blends of low-density polyethylene with nylon compatibilized with a sodium-neutralized carboxylate ionomer

An ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer partially neutralized with sodium (Na-EMAA) was successfully used to compatibilize Nylon 6 (Ny6) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) blends. The phase morphology and thermal behavior of these blends were investigated over a range of compositions using a variety of analytical techniques. The addition of small amounts (0.5 phr) of Na-EMAA improved the compatibility of Ny6/LDPE blends as evidenced by a significant reduction in dispersed phase sizes. TGA measurements demonstrated an improvement in thermal stability when Na-EMAA was added to either LDPE or Ny6. DSC results of Ny6/Na-EMAA binary blends showed that with increasing Na-EMAA content, the crystallization temperature of Ny6 phase decreased indicating that Na-EMAA retarded crystallization of Ny6. TGA and DSC results indicate that chemical reactions might have taken place between Ny6 and Na-EMAA, a hypothesis confirmed by the Molau test.     

Characterization and properties of polyethylene blends I. Linear low-density polyethylene with high-density polyethylene

A blend system of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) (ethylene butene-1 copolymer) with high-density (linear) polyethylene (HDPE) is investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD), small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), Raman longitudinal-acoustic-mode spectroscopy (LAM), and light scattering (LS). For slowly cooled or quenched samples, one single endotherm is evident in the DSC curve which depends on the composition. No separate peaks are observed in the WAXD, SAXS, Raman-LAM, and LS studies on the LLDPE/HDPE blends. This observation along with the fact that no peak broadening is observed suggests that these peaks are associated with the presence of a single component. In no case did we see double peaks or a broadened peak that might be associated with two closely spaced unresolved peaks. This suggests that segregation has not taken place at the structural levels of crystalline, lamellar, and spherulitic textures. A single-step drop in the scattered intensity (I_Hv) as a function of temperature is seen in the LS studies. It is therefore concluded that cocrystallization between the LLDPE and HDPE components occurs. The mechanical and optical α, β, and γ relaxations of these blends are explored by dynamic birefringence. The 50/50 blend displays the intermediate relaxation behavior between those of the components in all α, β, and γ regions. This observation is reminiscent of the characteristic of the typical miscible blends.     

Microstructure characterization of a complex branched low-density polyethylene

A low-density polyethylene(LDPE) resin with excellent processing and film-forming properties is fractionated through temperature rising elution fractionation(TREF) technique. The chain structures of both the original resin and its fractions are further analyzed using high-temperature gel permeation chromatography(GPC) coupled with triple detectors(refractive index(RI)-light scattering(LS)-viscometer(VIS)), 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(13C-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and successive selfnucleation/annealing(SSA) thermal fractionation. The 13C-NMR results show that the original resin has both short chain branch(SCB)(2.82 mol%) and long chain branch(LCB)(0.52 mol%) structures. The FTIR results indicate that the methyl numbers(per 1000 C) of the fractions gradually decrease from 81 to 46 with increasing elution temperature from 25 °C to 75 °C. The TREF-GPC cross-fractionation results show that the main component is collected at around 68 °C. The molecular weight of the components in the high elution temperatures of 60 °C to 75 °C is from 2.0 × 103 g/mol to 2.0 × 106 g/mol, and the relative amount is more than 80%. In the low elution temperature region below 50 °C, the molecular weights of the components range from 1.0 × 103 g/mol to 1.6 × 104 g/mol, and the relative amount is less than 10%. In the DSC results, the melting peaks of the fractions gradually increase from 80.1 °C to 108.8 °C with elution temperature. In the SSA thermal fractionation, each resin fraction shows a broad range of endotherm with multiple melting peaks(more than eight peaks). The melting peaks shift toward high temperatures with the elution temperature. The characteristic chain microstructure for the resin is also discussed in detail.     

Extensional flow-induced crystallization of a polyethylene melt

Measurements of flow-induced orientation and crystallization have been made on a high-density polyethylene melt (HDPE) undergoing a planar extensional flow in a four-roll mill. The HDPE was suspended as a cylindrical droplet at the flow stagnation point in a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) carrier phase. Deformation and crystallization of the HDPE droplet phase were monitored using video imaging in conjunction with measurement of the birefringence and dichroism to quantify the in-situ transformation kinetics. Planar deformation rates along the symmetry axis of the molten HDPE phase were on the order of 0.03 s^?1. Measurements of the initial transformation rate following flow cessation at 131.5°C and 133.2°C show a dependence on initial amorphous phase orientation and the total Hencky strain achieved during flow. The flow-induced crystallization rate is enhanced over the quiescent transformation rate by orders of magnitude, however, the dependence on temperature is less dramatic than expected for a nucleation-controlled growth mechanism. Analysis demonstrates that the melting point elevation model cannot account either qualitatively or quantitatively for the phenomena observed, suggesting that alternative explanations for the strong orientation dependence of the transformation rate are needed.     

Confined-growth crystallization of polyethylene

A new typical orientation pattern of polyethylene has been observed in extruded, melt-drawn composites containing 10% polyethylene and 90% polystyrene. In these composites, the polyethylene phase is dispersed in the polystyrene matrix as thin, long ribbons (width 1000 Å, thickness 500 Å). The b axis of the crystallites is found oriented preferentially along the long dimension of the ribbons, i.e., in the extrusion direction. The a and c axes of the crystallites show no preferred orientation. This texture pattern is attributed to the fact that, in view of the small cross section of the polyethylene phase, crystallization can proceed only along the long axis of the ribbons. Since the b axis is the direction of fastest growth in polyethylene (and the radial direction in a spherulite), most polyethylene unit cells are oriented with their b axes in the long dimension of the ribbons.     

Memory effect of low-density polyethylene crystallized in a stepwise manner

Stepwise crystallization and successive melting of Tipolen low density polyethylene was studied by DSC. As a result of the stepwise crystallization of the polyethylene, there were as many peaks on the melting curve as the number of steps used for the crystallization of the sample. Similar results were obtained on Tipolen low-density polyethylene fractionated by gel permeation chromatography, and on Celene low-density polyethylene, too.

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Zusammenfassung Die stufenweise Kristallisierung und das graduelle Schmelzen des Polyäthylens geringer Dichte Tipolen wurden mittels DSC studiert. Als Ergebnis der stufenweisen Kristallisierung des Polyäthylens befanden sich so viele Peaks in der Schmelzkurve wie die Zahl der zur Kristallisierung der Probe angewandten Stufen. Ähnliche Ergebnisse wurden bei der Fraktionierung des Polyäthylens geringer Dichte Tipolen mittels Gelpermeationschromatographie, sowie im Falle des Polyäthylens geringer Dichte Celene erhalten.

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Résumé On a étudié, par analyse enthalpique différentielle (DSC) la cristallisation graduelle et la fusion successive du polyéthylène à faible densité Tipolen. La cristallisation graduelle du polyéthylène fournit autant de pics sur la courbe de fusion qu'il n'y en avait d'étapes lors de la cristallisation de l'échantillon. On a obtenu de résultats similaires en effectuant la fractionation, par chromatographie à perméation de gel, du polyéthylène à faible densité Tipolen et aussi en étudiant le polyéthylène Celene, également à faible densité.

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Adhesive effect of low-density polyethylene gels on polyethylene moldings

Adhesive effect of low density polyethylene (LDPE) gels in organic solvents such as decalin, tetralin, ando-dichlorobenzene on high density polyethylene (HDPE) moldings has been investigated by shearing tests, electron microscopy, and DSC measurements. When heated at 110°C for 2 h, all of the gels showed strong adhesive strengths around 30 kg/cm², which is sufficiently strong for practical uses. It has been found that the adhesive strength increases with the heating temperature and that the temperature at which the heated gel begins to exhibit the adhesive effect depends upon solvents and is about 30° lower than that of the HDPE gels.     

Ignition of low-density polyethylene slabs by a small flame

Slabs of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were exposed to the wake of a lean hydrogen-oxygen flat flame. The ignition delay and initial flame velocity after the ignition were measured at several gas-air equivalence ratios and distances from the igniting flame. When ignition occurred, the surface temperature was far lower than that required for pyrolysis in the absence of oxygen. Small amounts of char formed on the polymer surface during the delay, consistent with the involvement of oxygen in solid-phase preignition processes. Plots of In(delay) versus 1/(absolute temperature) were linear and the activation energy was derived from the Arrhenius equation, 64 ± 10 kJ/mol. Initial rates of flame development decreased with increased separation between the polymer and the igniting flame, but unlike those reported for poly(methyl methacrylate), they were independent of the duration of the preceding delay except when the polymer was very close to the flame. The results are explained by a model in which both the ignition delay and the subsequent rate of flame development depend on the concentration of species associated with the chain-propagation steps of the combustion process.     

Characterizing blends of linear low-density and low-density polyethylene by DSC

Summary A two-step isothermal annealing (TSIA) procedure is described that enables the endothermic peaks of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and their blends, to be satisfactorily resolved during analysis by differential scanning calorimetry. A modified form of multistep isothermal annealing, the TSIA procedure produces a highly characteristic profile of the blend components by facilitating the segregation of the phases based on branch density. It is proposed that the TSIA procedure may have significant merit in the identification and quantification of the components in an unknown blend as well as increasing the sensitivity in analytical procedures aimed at blend component quantification.     

Some simulations on crystallinity in a typical linear low-density polyethylene

Crystallinity in ethylene/1-hexene copolymers, a type of linear low-density polyethylene, was investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The comonomer distributions generated in the simulated chains and the melting temperatures of real chains were used to estimate the minimum crystallite thickness, which is the critical quantity for simulating crystallization in any type of polymer. Simulated values of this thickness were in good agreement with values calculated from Raman longitudinal acoustic mode (LAM) spectroscopy, except for very low 1-hexene mole fractions, where there were presumably complications from high melt viscosities and chain entanglements. The use of this information in estimating properties of these copolymers is illustrated by some preliminary results on the effects of varying amounts of this comonomer on the sizes and numbers of the polyethylene crystallites.     

Mixed-crystal infrared studies of chain folding in polyethylene single crystals: Effect of crystallization temperature

Mixed crystals of polyethylene (PEH) and various-molecular-weight perdeuterated polyethylenes (PEDs) have been prepared at 80°C and their infrared spectra compared with those of samples grown at 55°C. Concentrations of 80 PEH/1 PED were required in the former case to eliminate segregation effects whereas 40 PEH/1 PED sufficed in the latter. Resolution of the observed CD₂ bend contour was most reasonably achieved with a crystalline singlet and two crystalline doublets, in addition to a contribution (ca. 15%) from the noncrystalline component. The singlet, comprising about 20% of the crystalline area, contains contributions from both isolated stems and (200) adjacent reentry folding. Random reentry folding is therefore not a predominant mode of chain organization in polyethylene single crystals. The inner of the two doublets arises from adjacent reentry folding along single (110) planes, and is present for all PED molecular weights. For low-molecular-weight fractions this splitting is consistent with the number of stems of one PED molecule allowed in the crystal. The outer doublet arises from multiple (110) plane adjacency, and is present for intermediate and high molecular weights. An analysis of both doublets suggests that at high molecular weights a single molecule can crystallize with noncontiguous regions of adjacent stem domains.     

The colloid-structure of semicrystalline low-density polyethylene

The length-distribution of stereoregular sequences in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is determined by a computer-aided analysis of cp-melting curves within the framework of thermodynamics of eutectoid copolymers. Small-angle x-ray scattering patterns are then described by using the structure data derived. One of the results is that fluctuations of the mean electron-density are increasingly reduced with an increasing degree of crystallinity.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. W. Pechhold on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Thermoluminescence and chain-fold morphology in low-density polyethylene

Further thermoluminescence data are presented supporting our earlier suggestion that the electron traps associated with the three peaks in the thermoluminescence glow curve of a low-density polyethylene sample from which absorbed air has been removed are formed by the polymer chains themselves in the chain-fold regions of the samples. These traps are shown to be sensitive to heating of the sample to temperature around its melting point; in particular, the lowest temperature peak disappears if the sample is held at 90°C in vacuum for 5 min. If the sample is maintained in vacuum at room temperature after such treatment, its modified glow curve remains unchanged for a period of at least 7 days; however, if the sample is exposed to air, nitrogen, or argon after such treatment, its gas-free glow curve begins to change within 3 days, evolving toward a three-peak form with the same peak temperatures but with relative intensities different from those observed before heating began. This suggests that the gas molecules “lubricate” the polymer chains, which then begin to move toward new equilibrium configurations. Immersion in n-hexane at room temperature has little effect on the luminescence centers but disables the electron traps. Immersion in fuming nitric acid at room temperature for 2 days appears to destroy the electron traps permanently, as would be expected if the chain folds are digested by the acid; its effect on the luminescence centers is still to be determined.     

Adhesive effect of linear low-density polyethylene gels on polyethylene moldings

Adhesive effect of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) gels in organic solvents such as decalin, tetralin, and o-dichlorobenzene on high density polyethylene (HDPE) moldings has been investigated by shearing tests, and DSC measurements. For all of the gels the temperature at which the heated gel starts to exhibit the adhesive effect was about 70 °C, which is similar to the result of LDPE gel. In particular, when heated at 110 °C, LLDPE gel in tetralin showed such a strong bond strength that polyethylene plates of 3 mm in thickness and 20 mm in width gave rise to necking. It was found that LLDPE gel behaved as though it added LDPE gel to HDPE gel namely LDPE-like components in LLDPE resin exerted the adhesive effect at lower heating temperature, HDPE-like components exerted the strong adhesive effect at higher heating temperature.     

Model of partial crystallization and melting derived from small-angle X-ray scattering and electron microscopic studies on low-density polyethylene

A temperature-dependent small-angle x-ray scattering and electron microscopic study on a sample of low-density polyethylene affords a determination of the structure changes in a heating and cooling cycle and suggests a new model of partial crystallization and melting. The analysis of SAXS data is based upon some general properties of the electron-density correlation function. Electron micrographs are obtained from stained sections γ irradiated at elevated temperatures and are analyzed quantitatively by statistical means. According to the model proposed here the thickness distribution in the amorphous layers, rather than that of the crystalline regions, is the essential factor governing the crystallization and melting behavior. The temperature-dependent changes in this thickness distribution provide a natural explanation for the large reversible changes in long-spacing.     

Studies of environmental stress-crack propagation in low-density polyethylene

Correlations of the stress-intensity factor K with crack speed a have been obtained for environmental stress cracking (ESC) of a series of low-density polyethylenes in detergent. In the majority of the materials, the crack speed increases initially with increasing K, then becomes constant, and finally starts decreasing. The ESC resistance increases with increasing molecular weight and, in general, the quenched materials show greater ESC resistance than slowly cooled ones. The crack propagation results agree well with the ESC model of Williams. Attempts have also been made to understand the micromechanics of ESC failure from a combined approach of K, the crack tip characteristics, and the fracture surface appearance. The roughness of the fracture surface increases with increasing K.