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The effect of controlled degradation on the molecular characteristics of heterophasic ethylene–propylene copolymers
Author(s) -
Swart Morne,
Van Reenen Albert J.
Publication year - 2015
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.41783
Subject(s) - copolymer , ethylene propylene rubber , materials science , polymer , differential scanning calorimetry , peroxide , ethylene , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , degradation (telecommunications) , size exclusion chromatography , chemistry , catalysis , organic chemistry , composite material , telecommunications , physics , computer science , engineering , thermodynamics , enzyme
A commercial heterophasic ethylene–propylene copolymer (HEPC) produced by Sasol Polymers using a Ziegler‐Natta catalysed gas‐phase process was vis‐broken (controlled degradation) to various degrees by making use of an organic peroxide. The effects of the amount of vis‐breaking on the molecular characteristics and physical properties were subsequently studied by making use of preparative Temperature Rising Elution Fractionation (p‐TREF), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), High Temperature Size Exclusion Chromatography (HT‐SEC), and deposition of the SEC fractions via the LC Transform Interface (SEC‐FTIR). It was found that by increasing the amount of organic peroxide, the molecular characteristics of the heterophasic copolymer are severely affected and hence influence the physical characteristics of the polymer dramatically. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 41783.