Synonyms
Polymethylene
Definition
The polymer with repeated ethylene (−CH2CH2-) unit produced by the polymerization of gaseous ethylene. Generally, copolymers of ethylene with α-olefines, showing similar structures, are included in this category.
Classification
Polyethylene is classified into several categories based on the density that deeply depends on branching: almost linear high-density polyethylene (HDPE, 0.94–0.96 g cm−3), branched low-density polyethylene (LDPE, 0.915–0.925 g cm−3), and medium-density polyethylene (MDPE, 0.925–0.94 g cm−3) with intermediate density [1]. Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), made by copolymerization of ethylene with α-olefines, is known. Very low-density polyethylene (VLDPE) is also commercially available (Fig. 1).
Schematic molecular structures of (a) LDPE, (b) LLDPE, and (c) HDPE
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References
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Okamura, Ta. (2015). Polyethylene (PE; Low Density and High Density). In: Kobayashi, S., Müllen, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29648-2_252
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29648-2_252
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