| Abstract: | The thermal oxidation, at 75–92°C, of antioxidant-free low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is faster in most aqueous environments than in air. The accelerative environments include water, solutions of sodium salts, and a basic buffer. However, an acidic buffer retards oxidation. Transition metal salts are not examined here since their catalytic effect is wellknown. The acceleration is predominantly a surface phenomenon, and so is most obvious in thin polymer films. For antioxidant-containing polyolefins, complications arise because of the possibility of extraction of stabilizers, but the trend in oxidative lifetime is similar to that of the antioxidant-free specimens, and the antioxidants are observed to react chemically during the aging process. For example, a commercial crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) shows a reduction in thermo-oxidative lifetime of at least a factor of two in aqueous environments compared to air. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) show similar behavior, but the magnitude of the effect of aqueous environments is less. This phenomenon is discussed in terms of nucleophilic attack by peroxy anions on hydroperoxides. |
