Correlation of Oscillation Cycles and Crystallization in HDPE Blends with Small Amounts of HMWPE Prepared by Dynamic-Packing Injection Molding

Abstract

The effect of oscillation cycles on crystal morphology was investigated for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in blends with 4 wt% high molecular weight polyethylene (HMWPE) (labeled B4) in samples prepared through dynamic-packing injection molding (DPIM). With the aid of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a weblike shish-kebab morphology that markedly increased stiffness and toughness was found at a specific oscillation cycle. The DSC and SEM results showed that crystal morphology was altered with changes in the oscillation cycle. The SEM and TEM results showed that a much better weblike shish-kebab structure, in which most of the lamellae connect different columns compared with conventional shish-kebabs, was formed in the B4 samples when the oscillation cycle was 10s. These results show that a proper oscillation cycle favors the improvement of crystal structures in HDPE blends induced by a small amount of HMWPE.