Ultradrawing of high-molecular-weight polyethylene cast from solution. II. Influence of initial polymer concentration |
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Authors: | Paul Smith Piet J Lemstra Henk C Booij |
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Abstract: | Ultradrawing of films of high-molecular-weight polyethylene (M?w = 1.5 × 106) produced by gelation crystallization from solution is discussed. The influence of the initial polymer volume fraction (?) on the maximum draw ratio (λmax) of the dried films is examined in the temperature region from 90–130°C. The results can be described very well by the relation λmax = λ ??1/2 where λ is the (temperature-dependent) maximum draw ratio of the melt-crystallized film. An attempt is made to discuss the marked influence of the initial polymer volume fraction on λmax in terms of the deformation of a network with entanglements acting as semipermanent crosslinks. |
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