The influence of molecular weight and thermal history on the thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of metallocene-catalyzed linear polyethylenes
K. Jordens et al., The influence of molecular weight and thermal history on the thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of metallocene-catalyzed linear polyethylenes, POLYMER, 41(19), 2000, pp. 7175-7192
Several linear polyethylene homopolymers of varied molecular weight (13 les
s than or equal to M-w less than or equal to 839 kg/mol) were synthesized w
ith a metallocene catalyst and characterized. The synthetic approach result
ed in relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (2.3 < (M) over bar(
w)/(M) over bar(n) < 3.6) as measured by size exclusion chromatography. The
melt rheological data, \eta*(omega)\ were modeled by the Carreau-Yasuda eq
uation. The as-polymerized polymer fluffs were compression molded into film
s of quenched and slowly cooled thermal treatments, This resulted in a raug
e of sample densities between 0.9302 and 0.9800 g/cm(3), due to variations
in the crystal content. The thermal, morphological, and mechanical behavior
s were examined for the dependencies on both molecular weight and thermal t
reatment. The small-strain tensile deformation properties, Young's modulus,
yield stress, and yield strain, were directly related to percent crystalli
nity, independent of molecular weight. However, increasing molecular weight
led to a suppression of the peak in the stress-strain curves at the yield
point. The large-strain deformation properties, toughness and strain at bre
ak, were influenced by the competing effects of percent crystallinity and m
olecular weight, The slit-smeared long spacings increased with molecular we
ight. There was a progression from ridged and planar lamellae to curved C a
nd S-shaped lamellae with increasing molecular weight. Thermal treatment ha
d a large influence on the shape of the mechanical alpha-relaxation, while
the crystal content affected the magnitudes of the mechanical gamma and bet
a-relaxations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.