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Thermal properties of silane‐grafted water‐crosslinked polyethylene
Author(s) -
Shieh YeongTarng,
Hsiao KuoI
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19981107)70:6<1075::aid-app4>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - low density polyethylene , silane , materials science , differential scanning calorimetry , polyethylene , thermogravimetric analysis , polymer chemistry , thermal decomposition , melting point , grafting , composite material , chemical engineering , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
Vinyl trimethoxysilane grafting reactions of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) were performed in an extruder, followed by crosslinking with boiled water. The thermal properties of both silane‐grafted and silane‐grafted water‐crosslinked LDPE were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC data showed that the silane grafts on the LDPE molecules were thermal stable in the absence of moisture under 130°C under which the silane‐grafted LDPE could be processed or recycled. The silane grafts on the LDPE molecules reduced the melting point of LDPE and gave rise to an endotherm shoulder at about 85°C. TGA data showed that the decomposition temperature of the silane‐grafted LDPE was much higher than that of LDPE. It was demonstrated that the cause of the increase in the decomposition temperature was not due to the silane grafts but due to the peroxide‐induced crosslinking reactions during the silane grafting reactions performed in an extruder. Silane‐grafted water‐crosslinked LDPE displayed multiple melting behavior resulting from phase separation during crosslinking of LDPE with water. The phase separation gave rise to two melting points, including one at about 94°C, and the other at about 107°C. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 70: 1075–1082, 1998