| Abstract: | The present study compares the properties of five films: one film of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), two films of linear low density polyethylenes (1‐octene comonomer)—one made by metalllocene catalyst (mLLDPE) and the other by Ziegler–Natta (zLLDPE)—and two blend films, one of mLLDPE/LDPE (film A) and the other of zLLDPE/LDPE (film B). The effect of LDPE (22% by weight) on the thermomechanical properties of LLDPE‐based films is investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and stress‐strain in the yield region measurements. The mechanical, dynamic, and thermal properties of film A are quite similar to a single component system (mLLDPE). The addition of this amount of LDPE does not affect the melting temperature of mLLDPE but it enhances its crystallinity. Film B is a rather inhomogeneous material, as opposed to film A, and its properties seem to be dependent on stretching conditions. Furthermore, the thermally activated rate process (Eyring's theory) is applied to analyze the yielding behavior of the two blend films. Double yielding manifested by film B is described with two thermally activated processes, while film A is satisfactorily described by a single process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1712–1727, 2005 |
