Effects of Mixing Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene on Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Polyethylene Solids

Abstract

The influence of mixing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the morphology and mechanical properties of solid-state high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated using various analytical methods. The dispersion of UHMWPE chains within HDPE improved with longer mixing times. However, increased mixing time also led to a decrease in molecular weight, particularly affecting the high molecular weight component because of the degradation of molecular chains. The strain-hardening modulus and strength of UHMWPE/HDPE blends significantly surpassed those of pure HDPE and continued to improve with increasing UHMWPE fraction. In particular, the strain-hardening modulus of all samples was predominantly influenced by the fraction of tie molecules connecting more than six lamellar crystals, irrespective of the degree of degradation.