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Surface crosslinking of polyethylene using a hydrogen glow discharge
Author(s) -
Hudis Martin
Publication year - 1972
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/app.1972.070160918
Subject(s) - polyethylene , materials science , hydrogen , glow discharge , diffusion , analytical chemistry (journal) , irradiation , ultraviolet , polymer , spectral line , plasma , chemistry , composite material , thermodynamics , chromatography , organic chemistry , physics , optoelectronics , quantum mechanics , nuclear physics , astronomy
Linear high‐density polyethylene is crosslinked by exposing it to a hydrogen glow discharge and alternatively by exposing it to a low‐pressure Hg–A ultraviolet lamp in a dry nitrogen atmosphere. For the UV lamp case, the crosslinked gel is measured as a function of the radiation dose. For the plasma case, the crosslinked gel is measured as a function of the exposure time. The two gelation curves are alternatively compared to an exponentially attenuated light theory and a diffusion theory. Excellent agreement exists between the measured gel‐versus‐dose curve and the theoretical curve based on the light theory for a monochromatic light beam at 1849 Å. The gelation curve for the hydrogen glow discharge case can be explained using the identical theory but applied to a spectrum of light covering the range from 1200 Å to 1900 Å. The different curves can be explained in terms of the different spectra. Energy transfer between the plasma and the polymer due to excited atoms, and/or charged particles, is not required to account for the different gel curves.