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Effect of testing condition and crystalline properties on the mechanical α-relaxation of polyethylene

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Abstract

The mechanical α-relaxation of polyethylene was studied under different testing conditions and distinct polyethylene sheets. The condition of 2.5 mm thickness and 3 ℃/min was in favor of observing and analyzing the α-relaxation. The α2-relaxation peak in tan δ curves disappears under the high-frequency condition of 10 Hz since the α2-relaxation temperature is higher than melting temperature, which provide the support for the explanation on the disappearance of the α2-relaxation caused by crystalline properties. The influences of thermal history for the sheets of linear and branched polyethylene, as well as melting index for linear polyethylene on α-relaxation can be attributed to both lamella thickness and crystallinity. The higher lamella thickness and crystallinity, the more obviousness and higher temperature of α1-relaxation, as well as the higher temperature of α2-relaxation or cause the disappearance of α2-relaxation peak. The variation of multiple α-relaxations was interpreted using a microcrystalline structure and macro-crystallinity. The chain motion in amorphous being more restricted and the chain motion in crystal lattices requiring more energy contribute to the temperature increasing of α1- and α2-relaxation, respectively. The higher remaining crystallinity during the premelting process causes the increase in the α2-relaxation temperature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Polyolefin and Catalysis/Shanghai Key Laboratory of Catalysis Technology for Polyolefin, Shanghai Research Institute of Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Shanghai, 200062, People’s Republic of China

    Tianhui Yang, Chunlin Ye, Ning Cuo, Derong Meng & Jianlong Li

  2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Materials Chemical Engineering, Department of Product Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, People’s Republic of China

    Chunlin Ye

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  1. Tianhui Yang
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  2. Chunlin Ye
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Correspondence to Chunlin Ye.

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Yang, T., Ye, C., Cuo, N. et al. Effect of testing condition and crystalline properties on the mechanical α-relaxation of polyethylene. Polym. Bull. 81, 611–632 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-023-04726-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-023-04726-4

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