Morphologies and Mechanical Properties of High-Density Polyethylene Induced by the Addition of Small Amounts of Both Low- and High-Molecular-Weight Polyolefin under Shear Stress Applied by Dynamic Packing Injection Molding

Abstract

This paper focuses on the mechanical properties and crystal morphology of a self-reinforced high-density polyethylene 5000S (HDPE 5000S) by simultaneously blending with 9 wt% high-molecular-weight polyethylene (HMWPE) and 9 wt% low-molecular-weight polyethylene (LMWPE) (A9) under the shear stress field which was engendered by a self-made dynamic packing injection molding (DPIM) machine. The results of mechanical properties, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy characterization were as follows: (1) The tensile strength of the dynamic samples increased to 112.1 MPa, 4.85 times as much as that of static packing injection molding (SPIM) samples (23.1 MPa), as a result of realizing polyethylene's self-enhancement; (2) Shish-kebab structure was found in the dynamic samples; (3) The crystallinity of the DPIM A9 sample reached 68.6%, on increase by 18.7% compared with that of the SPIM sample. The formation of the shish-kebab structure and enhancement of mechanical properties are explained.