The Effect of Temperature and Gel Concentration on the Rheological Properties of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) in Decalin

✍ Scribed by Lee, E.M.; Choi, M.W.; Jeong, H.M.; Kim, B.K.

• Book ID: 126250195
• Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1015 KB
• Volume: 30
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0334-6447
• DOI: 10.1515/POLYENG.2010.30.9.549

✦ Synopsis

The effects of the temperature and gel concentration on the rheological properties of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were determined along with its cloud point and thermal behavior. The crystallization temperature (120°C) and crystalline melting temperature (130°C) of the UHMWPE were 5-10°C higher than those of conventional high density polyethylene (HDPE) due to the molecular weight effect. The cloud point linearly increased with increasing gel content within the experimental range. Regardless of the temperature and gel concentration, the viscosity function followed power-law behavior and the gel viscosity increased significantly with increasing concentration. The temperature dependence of the viscosity followed the Arrhenius equation, where the effect of temperature was most pronounced at a high gel content. The temperature hysteresis of the gel viscosity was demonstrated, due to the morphology change during the heating and cooling processes.