Soontaree Kositchaiyong. Influence of various ethylene copolymers on the silane-water crosslinking of high-density polyethylene. Master's Degree(Polymer Science and Technology). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2008.
Influence of various ethylene copolymers on the silane-water crosslinking of high-density polyethylene
Abstract:
The silane-grafting and water-crosslinking of high-density polyethylene
(HDPE) and its blends with various ethylene copolymers were investigated. Various
ethylene copolymers including ethylene-octene copolymer (EO), ethylene-butene
copolymer (EB) and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) were introduced to the
HDPE, in order to facilitate diffusion of water which aids crosslink reaction. The
HDPE and its blends were first grafted with vinyl trimethoxysilane (VTMS) by a freeradical
reaction initiated by dicumyl peroxide (DCP). The grafted samples were
subsequently crosslinked in hot water. The effects of ethylene copolymers on the
degree of grafting were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
(FTIR) technique. The effects of ethylene copolymers and crosslinking time on
crosslinking degree were investigated using solvent extraction, rheological
measurement and FTIR analysis. The crystallisation behaviours, thermal and
mechanical properties of the crosslinked samples were also investigated.
The results showed that an increase in amount of silane absorption in ethylene
copolymers did not help to improve the efficiency of silane grafting in the blend. The
presence of bulky acetate group and steric side chain comonomer in ethylene
copolymers led to some difficulties in silane reaction. The degree of crosslinking was
found to depend on the crosslinking time and structure of copolymers. As the
crosslinking time increased, the degree of crosslinking increased. The incorporation of
ethylene copolymers increased the degree and rate of crosslinking of HDPE. The
hydrophilicity of the copolymers played a major role in silane crosslinking, whereas
the amount of crystalline component in the copolymers showed a minor effect. The
silane crosslinking occurred mainly in the amorphous region of the sample. The
presence of crosslink networks improved the tensile modulus and caused a reduction
in elongation and strength at breaks. The crosslinked products exhibited an
improvement in the thermal oxidative stability, thermal decomposition activation
energy and heat deflection property