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XLPE Manufacturing Processes

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Crosslinkable Polyethylene

Part of the book series: Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials ((MHFNN))

Abstract

Crosslinked polyethylene finds widespread use as a thermoset material in various industries due to their superior thermomechanical properties. There are three common ways of crosslinking polyethylene via irradiation, peroxide and silanes. Irradiation and peroxide-based crosslinking technologies involve the use of radicals. The other popular method for making such thermoset polymers involves the use of moisture curable alkoxysilane functionalized reactor or graft copolymers. The copolymer approach to this technology is typically based upon copolymerization of ethylene and vinyltrimethoxysilane in a high-pressure polyethylene reactor. Peroxide mediated post-reactor grafting of silanes to polyethylene in compounding or extrusion equipment is another common way to prepare moisture crosslinkable polyethylene.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Dow Chemical Company, Collegeville, PA, USA

    Saurav S. Sengupta

Authors
  1. Saurav S. Sengupta
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Correspondence to Saurav S. Sengupta .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Post Graduate Department of Chemistry, St. Berchmans’ College, Changanassery, Kerala, India

    Jince Thomas

  2. School of Energy Materials and International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India

    Sabu Thomas

  3. Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam, Malaysia

    Zakiah Ahmad

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Sengupta, S.S. (2021). XLPE Manufacturing Processes. In: Thomas, J., Thomas, S., Ahmad, Z. (eds) Crosslinkable Polyethylene. Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0514-7_3

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