Premium
Effect of short‐chain branching on melt fracture behavior of metallocene and conventional poly(ethylene/α‐olefin) copolymers
Author(s) -
Garofalo E.,
Incarnato L.,
Di Maio L.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.23140
Subject(s) - comonomer , linear low density polyethylene , materials science , branching (polymer chemistry) , metallocene , post metallocene catalyst , low density polyethylene , melt flow index , polyethylene , molar mass distribution , composite material , polymer chemistry , copolymer , polymerization , polymer
Abstract A phenomenon that can represent a great problem in melt processing is extrudate distortion. This effect can range in intensity from a loss of gloss to gross distortion and is the factor that limits the production rate in certain processes such as the blown film extrusion of linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE). The aim of this work was to investigate the effects that molecular weight distribution and short‐chain branch length have on the observed melt fracture phenomena for poly(ethylene/α‐olefin) resins with similar weight comonomer content and molecular weight. The flow stability analysis conducted in this study has shown that, even increasing of few carbon atoms the short‐chain branch length of the resins, the surface melt fracture phenomena are reduced and/or eliminated. Moreover, the comparison between the metallocene (mLLDPE) and conventional LLDPE samples, with the same comonomer (hexene), showed that the metallocene‐catalyzed resin exhibits early onset and more severe melt fracture, due to its narrower molecular weight distribution. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:1968–1977, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers