Oxygen permeability, electron spin resonance, differential scanning calorimetry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy studies of uniaxially deformed linear low‐density polyethylene film

Abstract

AbstractLinear low‐density polyethylene (PE‐LLD) films were mechanically deformed at room temperature in both parallel and perpendicular directions to their initial orientation obtained during the manufacturing process. The degree of deformation ${\lambda}$, defined as ${\lambda} = l/l_{0}, l$ and l0 being the length of the deformed and relaxed samples, respectively, was varied from 1.0 to 2.0. Oxygen transport was investigated by a manometric method and the results were correlated with differential scanning calorimetry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy measurements in order to investigate the contribution of various factors that influence the permeability of deformed PE‐LLD films. An electron spin resonance spin‐probe method was employed to determine the influence of uniaxial deformation on the chain segmental mobility in the amorphous phase. The results show that the deformation process reduces oxygen permeability and diffusion coefficients. It was found that the reduction is a combined effect of an increased crystallinity and reduced fractional free volume. The decrease of the chain segmental mobility with deformation plays an important role in the gas diffusion mechanism. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry