Polyethylene-polypropylene cross-linked

PBDEs are used in different resins, polymers, and substrates at levels ranging from 5 to 30% by weight (EU 2001). Plastic materials that utilize PBDEs as flame retardants include ABS polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polyamide(PA) polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) polyethylene (PE) cross-linked polyethylene (XPE) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polypropylene (PP) polystyrene (PS) high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polyurethane (PUR) and unsaturated polyester (UPE). These polymers and examples of their final products are summarized inTable 5-2 (Hardy 2002 WHO 1994a). 

A variety of foams can be produced from various types of polyethylenes and cross-linked systems having a very wide range of physical properties, and foams can be tailor-made to a specific application. Polypropylene has a higher thermostability than polyethylene. The production volume of polyolefin foams is not as high as that of polystyrene, polyurethane, or PVC foams. This is due to the higher cost of production and some technical difficulties in the production of polyolefin foams. The structural foam injection molding process, described previously for polystyrene, is also used for polyethylene and polypropylene structural foams (see Figure 2.61). 

If the oxygen concentration is low, as in processing, R radicals are stable enough to react independently. There is a competition between recombination cross-linking and /3-scission. The relative importance depends on the polymer eg, polypropylene (7) undergoes scission in processing, but polyethylene (8) cross-links. 

LDPE—Low-Density Polyethylene HDPE—High-Density Polyethylene XLPE—Cross-linked High-Density Polyethylene PP—Polypropylene... 

Polyolefins. In these thermoplastic elastomers the hard component is a crystalline polyolefin, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, and the soft portion is composed of ethylene-propylene rubber. Attractive forces between the rubber and resin phases serve as labile cross-links. Some contain a chemically cross-linked rubber phase that imparts a higher degree of elasticity. 

Laboratory tests indicated that gamma radiation treatment and cross-linking using triaHylcyanurate or acetylene produced a flexible recycled plastic from mixtures of polyethylene, polypropylene, general-purpose polystyrene, and high impact grade PS (62). 

The use of TAG as a curing agent continues to grow for polyolefins and olefin copolymer plastics and mbbers. Examples include polyethylene (109), chlorosulfonated polyethylene (110), polypropylene (111), ethylene—vinyl acetate (112), ethylene—propylene copolymer (113), acrylonitrile copolymers (114), and methylstyrene polymers (115). In ethylene—propylene copolymer mbber compositions. TAG has been used for injection molding of fenders (116). Unsaturated elastomers, such as EPDM, cross link with TAG by hydrogen abstraction and addition to double bonds in the presence of peroxyketal catalysts (117) (see Elastol rs, synthetic). 

Corrosion. Aqueous solutions of citric acid are mildly corrosive toward carbon steels. At elevated temperatures, 304 stainless steel is corroded by citric acid, but 316 stainless steel is resistant to corrosion. Many aluminum, copper, and nickel alloys are mildly corroded by citric acid. In general, glass and plastics such as fiber glass reinforced polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), and cross-linked poly(vinyl chloride) are not corroded by citric acid. 

Blends of isobutylene polymers with thermoplastic resins are used for toughening these compounds. High density polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene are often modified with 5 to 30 wt % polyisobutylene. At higher elastomer concentration the blends of butyl-type polymers with polyolefins become more mbbery in nature, and these compositions are used as thermoplastic elastomers (98). In some cases, a halobutyl phase is cross-linked as it is dispersed in the polyolefin to produce a highly elastic compound that is processible in thermoplastic mol ding equipment (99) (see Elastomers, synthetic-thermoplastic). ... 

Polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene contain only C—C and C—H bonds and may be considered as high molecular weight paraffins. Like the simpler paraffins they are somewhat inert and their major chemical reaction is substitution, e.g. halogenation. In addition the branched polyethylenes and the higher polyolefins contain tertiary carbon atoms which are reactive sites for oxidation. Because of this it is necessary to add antioxidants to stabilise the polymers against oxidation Some polyolefins may be cross-linked by peroxides. 

Polypropylene differs from polyethylene in its chemical reactivity because of the presence of tertiary carbon atoms occurring alternately on the chain backbone. Of particular significance is the susceptibility of the polymer to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Some estimate of the difference between the two polymers can be obtained from Figure 1J.7, which compares- the rates of oxygen uptake of eaeh polymer at 93°C. Substantial improvements can be made by the inclusion of antioxidants and such additives are used in all commercial compounds. Whereas polyethylene cross-links on oxidation, polypropylene degrades to form lower molecular weight products. Similar effects are noted... 

Most properties of polypropylene are similar to polyethylene but polypropylene has higher softening point and at 140°C polypropylene still retains its shape. Polypropylene is more susceptible to oxidation by air at higher temperature. Cross-linking, chlorination and other reactions lead to degradation of Polymer chain and are not very useful commercially. 

Thermal stability. The presence of side chains, cross-linking, and benzene rings in the polymer s "backbone increase the melting temperatures. For example, a spectrum of polymers with increasing melting temperatures would be polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, nylon, and polyimide. 

In this chapter, the big four thermoplastics are covered polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene. Like most other thermoplastics, they are long-chain polymers that become soft when heated and can be molded under pressure. They are linear- or branch-chained and, except for some exotic copolymers, have little or no cross-linking. Technological advances continue. Research in copolymerization, catalysts, processing, blending, and fabricating continues even as you read this. 

Enhanced radiation cross-linking in polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly-isobutylene and in copolymers of ethylene and propylene was found when nitrous oxide was incorporated into the polymer matrix. Mechanisms of fhis process have been proposed by several workers. ... 

Several investigators found a moderate to substantial increase in the rate of cross-linking of polyethylene and polypropylene. It was speculated that... 

Electron beam irradiation is one of the methods of cross-linking in fhis process. The other methods use peroxide, multifunctional azide, or an organofunctional silane. Polyethylene resins respond to electron beam irradiation well since the rate of cross-linking exceeds significanfly fhe chain scission. Polypropylene (PP) is prone to P-cleavage, which makes if difficult to cross-link by a free radical process. For fhaf reason, PP resins... 

Several investigators found moderate48 to substantial49 increase in the rate of cross-linking of polyethylene and polypropylene. It was speculated that the differences between the results of the two studies might be due to the differences in the way the promoter was distributed in the test material.50... 

Polypropylene. A similar study on polypropylene is interesting because polypropylene has a molecular structure intermediate between polyethylene and polyisobutylene. An atactic polypropylene specimen was prepared by ether extraction and irradiated in a nitrous oxide atmosphere. The changes in gel fraction (insoluble in hot xylene) as a function of N-jO pressure are shown in Figure 6. Gel formation (cross-linking) of polypropylene is also promoted in the presence of nitrous oxide. 

ABS = Acrylonitrile Butadene Styrene PA = Polyamide PAN = Polyacrylonitrile PBT = Polybbutylene Terephthalate PE= Polyethylene PET = Polyethylene Terephthalate PP = Polypropylene PUR = Polyirethane PVC = Polyvinyl chloride UPE = Un saturated polyester XPE = Cross-linked polyethylene ... 

Linear polystyrene can be generated on insoluble polymers by /-irradiation of the latter in a solution of styrene [110]. Polystyrene grafted onto polytetrafluoroethylene [111-116], polyethylene [2,110,117], or polypropylene [15] can be functionalized in the same way as cross-linked polystyrene, and loadings of up to 1.0 mmol/g can be attained. These supports, which are also available as crown-shaped pins (Multipin, 2-3 mm diameter, 8-10 pmol per crown), have been used for the synthesis of peptides [2,110,111,118], oligonucleotides [112-115,117,119], and small molecules [120-122]. 

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