On the durability of low-density polyethylene nanocomposites

e-Polymers ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitendra K. Pandey ◽  
Raj Pal Singh

Abstract Low-density polyethylene (PE) containing nano-particulate clay was prepared after functionalization with maleic anhydride (MA) by reactive grafting in the presence of peroxide followed by blending of maleated PE with neat polymer in different concentrations. Four classes of composites were obtained: (i) exfoliated, (ii) intercalated, (iii) microcomposites, and (iv) intermediate of intercalated and microcomposites, as evidenced by wide-angle X-ray diffraction. All samples were kept for artificial UV irradiation (λ ≥ 290 nm) and for composting to study their photo- and bio-durability. Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy were used to monitor the functional group and morphological changes, respectively, whereas biodurability was evaluated by measuring the weight loss. MA functionalization and nature of composites have detrimental effects on the overall durability of composites. Nanocomposites showed higher resistance than microcomposites during initial weathering and composting with a long induction period. The stability of nanocomposites decreases with time and overall durability was worse than of pristine polymer in both environments. It was concluded that the initial protection is due to the filler-generated long diffusion path, which decreases the oxygen diffusion through the matrix. The bio-durability of composites decreased with oxo-degradation. Biodegradation of PE nanocomposites during composting follows the mechanism described by Albertsson et al. as evidenced by FT-IR spectroscopy.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 3872
Author(s):  
Klytaimnistra Katsara ◽  
George Kenanakis ◽  
Zacharias Viskadourakis ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis

For multiple years, food packaging migration has been a major concern in food and health sciences. Plastics, such as polyethylene, are continuously utilized in food packaging for preservation and easy handling purposes during transportation and storage. In this work, three types of cheese, Edam, Kefalotyri and Parmesan, of different hardness were studied under two complementary vibrational spectroscopy methods, ATR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, to determine the migration of low-density polyethylene from plastic packaging to the surface of cheese samples. The experimental duration of this study was set to 28 days due to the degradation time of the selected cheese samples, which is clearly visible after 1 month in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C. Raman and ATR-FTIR measurements were performed at a 4–3–4–3 day pattern to obtain comparative results. Initially, consistency/repeatability measurement tests were performed on Day0 for each sample of all cheese specimens to understand if there is any overlap between the characteristic Raman and ATR-FTIR peaks of the cheese with the ones from the low-density polyethylene package. We provide evidence that on Day14, peaks of low-density polyethylene appeared due to polymeric migration in all three cheese types we tested. In all cheese samples, microbial outgrowth started to develop after Day21, as observed visually and under the bright-field microscope, causing peak reverse. Food packaging migration was validated using two different approaches of vibrational spectroscopy (Raman and FT-IR), revealing that cheese needs to be consumed within a short time frame in refrigerated conditions at 4 °C.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5370
Author(s):  
Ana M. Borreguero ◽  
Irene Izarra ◽  
Ignacio Garrido ◽  
Patrycja J. Trzebiatowska ◽  
Janusz Datta ◽  
...  

Polyurethane (PU) is one of the principal polymers in the global plastic market thanks to its versatility and continuous improvement. In this work, PU elastomeric materials having thermoregulating properties through the incorporation of microcapsules (mSD-(LDPE·EVA-RT27)) from low-density polyethylene and vinyl acetate containing paraffin®RT27 as PCM were produced. Elastomers were synthesized while varying the molar ratio [NCO]/[OH] between 1.05 and 1.1 and the microcapsule (MC) content from 0.0 to 20.0 wt.%. The successful synthesis of the PUs was confirmed by IR analyses. All the synthesized elastomers presented a structure formed by a net of spherical microparticles and with a minimum particle size for those with 10 wt.% MC. The density and tensile strength decreased with the MC content, probably due to worse distribution into the matrix. Elastomer E-1.05 exhibited better structural and stability properties for MC contents up to 15 wt.%, whereas E-1.1, containing 20 wt.% MC, revealed mechanical and thermal synergy effects, demonstrating good structural stability and the largest latent heat. Hence, elastomers having a large latent heat (8.7 J/g) can be produced by using a molar ratio [NCO]/[OH] of 1.1 and containing 20 wt.% mSD-(LDPE·EVA-RT27).


2014 ◽  
Vol 895 ◽  
pp. 155-161
Author(s):  
M.I. Khairuldin ◽  
N.M.A. Aziz ◽  
N.M. Nashaain ◽  
S. Wedianti ◽  
I. Farehah ◽  
...  

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) films doped with Eu (TTA)3phen complex (TTA=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, phen=1,10-phenanthroline) were fabricated by hot-blowing technique for thickness of 100 μm. The films were doped with 0.1 % of Eu (TTA)3phen to the total weight of LDPE and exposed to UV irradiation from deuterium lamp for 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 hours to investigate the effect of its optical properties. The films were characterized by Spectrofluorometer, UV/VIS Spectrophotometer and FT-IR Spectrometer to measure their emission spectra, lifetimes, transmission transparency and chemical bonding. Photoluminescence of the room-temperature Eu (TTA)3phen doped films consist of typical Eu3+emission transition lines with hypersensitive5D07F2emission band at 610 nm. After 20 hours UV treatment, the peak intensity dropped by 90 % and shortened the luminescent lifetimes from 0.654 ms to 0.305 ms. Longer UV treatment also has accelerated degradation in doped LDPE films shown by significant reducing in absorption peak of FTIR at 3395, 3186 and 1645 cm-1. The results would provide a mechanism to improve the lifetime of the LDPE by utilizing the light-manipulation property of Eu (TTA)3phen complex to absorb UV spectrum and covert into red emission.Keywords: LDPE, rare-earth complex, photoluminescence


2017 ◽  
Vol 890 ◽  
pp. 82-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reymark D. Maalihan ◽  
Bryan B. Pajarito

This work reports the effect of temperature on degradation of colored low-density polyethylene (PE) films during thermal aging. Film samples were formulated according to Taguchi design of experiments where colorant, thickness, and pro-oxidant concentration were varied accordingly. Tensile properties of films were monitored with time during heat aging in a hot air oven at 50, 70, and 90 °C. Likewise, surfaces of aged films were analyzed to evaluate the degree of oxidation of PE during thermal aging. The Arrhenius equation was then used to predict the lifetime of PE at an in-use temperature of 30 °C. Results indicate that increasing the temperature reduces the tensile strength and modulus of films. Formation of carbonyl groups as degradation products is also observed at higher temperatures. Consequently, thermal aging at 90 °C offers the highest extent of degradation of exposed films. Regression analysis reveals that white films degrade at a higher rate than yellow and non-colored films. The presence of TiO2 in white films shortens the lifetime of PE while amine stabilizer in yellow films enhances the stability of PE during thermal aging.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 287-298
Author(s):  
Xincheng Guo ◽  
Mengqi Tang ◽  
Na Wang ◽  
Lingtong Li ◽  
Yifan Wu ◽  
...  

Organically modified layered double hydroxide (OM-LDH) was synthesized via anion exchange reaction and potassium monolauryl phosphate (MAPK) was used as an intercalator. The OM-LDH nanofillers were embedded into low-density polyethylene/ethylene–vinyl acetate (LDPE/EVA) via melt blending process which provided LDPE/EVA/OM-LDH nanocomposites. The structure and properties of the fabricated samples were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and tensile testing. The results showed that the organic anion was intercalated into the interlayer region of LDH and enlarged the interlayer distance. The TGA results of the nanocomposites showed significantly improved thermal stability at a higher temperature when containing 6 wt% OM-LDH due to the good dispersion of OM-LDH in the matrix. The DSC data indicated that the degree of crystallinity was increased obviously due to the incorporation of OM-LDH in the matrix. The formation of organic side chains on the OM-LDH surface also contributed to an improvement in the interfacial adhesion, resulting in enhanced tensile strength and elongation at break compared with LDH.


e-Polymers ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Traian Zaharescu ◽  
Silviu Jipa

AbstractUnder the degradative action of γ-rays, low density polyethylene (LDPE) blended with 5% polypyrrole (PPy) was oxidized extra slow than the neat polymer. FTIR and UV-Viz spectroscopy’s were used for the assessment of the accumulation of oxygen-containing products. The transmittance recorded for LDPE at characteristic bands was higher than similar features obtained for LDPE/PPy samples. The protective action of PPy against oxidative ageing of polymer substrate is due to the movable proton belonging to pyrrole ring. A protection mechanism scheme is proposed for antioxidant activity of polypyrrole


2014 ◽  
Vol 804 ◽  
pp. 43-46
Author(s):  
Si Zhao Zhang ◽  
Xue Guang Luo ◽  
Feng Ding ◽  
Ke Li ◽  
Xiao Yan Lin ◽  
...  

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) films added thermal catalyst were investigated at artificial aging time of 0, 10, 20, and 30 days, respectively. The samples obtained were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It shows that the surface of film was destroyed via thermocatalytic reactions at lower temperature. In addition, the changes of chemical groups were also observed in the thermocatalytic degradation process. Thus, the validation to the thermocatalytic route has been confirmed over lower temperature excitation. It is hoped that our work may provide a new insight into the degradation of polymeric films at lower temperature.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2618
Author(s):  
Erdal Karaagac ◽  
Mitchell P. Jones ◽  
Thomas Koch ◽  
Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki

Plastic recycling strikes a balance between functional, mass producible products and environmental sustainability and is pegged by governments for rapid expansion. However, ambitious targets on recycled material adoption across new markets are at odds with the often heterogenous properties of contaminated regranulates. This study investigated polypropylene (PP) contamination in post-consumer low-density polyethylene (PE-LD) and mixed polyolefin (PO) regranulates. Calibration curves were constructed and PP content, its effect on mechanical properties and property recovery in compatibilised material assessed. FT-IR band ratios provided more reliable estimations of PP content than DSC melt enthalpy, which suffered considerable error for PP copolymers. PE-LD regranulates contained up to 7 wt.% PP contamination and were considerably more brittle than virgin PE-LD. Most mixed PO regranulates contained 45–95 wt.% PP and grew more brittle with increasing PP content. Compatibilisation with 5 wt.% ethylene-based olefin block copolymer resulted in PE-LD blends resembling virgin PE-LD and considerable improvements in the properties of mixed PO blends. These results illustrate the prevalence of PP in recycled PE, challenges associated with its quantification, effect on mechanical properties, and compatibilisation viability, thereby representing an important step towards higher quality regranulates to meet the recycling demands of tomorrow.


2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpa Y. Sankhe ◽  
Douglas E. Hirt

The diffusion of additives in thick (∼500 μm) single layer and multilayer films has been characterized using FT-IR microspectroscopy.1,2 The objective of this research was to investigate additive migration and concentration profiles in coextruded multilayer films of industrially relevant thicknesses. In particular, the investigation focused on the migration of an erucamide slip agent in 50-μm-thick coextruded bilayer films of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and a polyolefin plastomer (POP). Erucamide concentration profiles were successfully mapped using synchrotron-based FT-IR microspectroscopy. The synchrotron radiation helped to achieve a higher spatial resolution for the thin films. Meticulous sample preparation was needed to map the thin film samples. Results with FT-IR microspectroscopy showed that the additive-concentration profiles were relatively uniform across the multilayer-film thickness irrespective of the intended initial additive distribution. For example, a bilayer planned for 1 wt % erucamide in an LLDPE layer and no erucamide in a POP layer showed significant additive migration into the POP layer at the extrusion rates used. FT-IR microspectroscopy results also showed that more erucamide migrated to the surface of a POP layer than an LLDPE layer. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FT-IR spectroscopy was used to confirm the time-dependent increase of erucamide surface concentration and that the increase was more pronounced at the surface of the POP layers.


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