Correlation Between Crystallinity and Microhardness of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between crystallinity and microhardness in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) to gain insights into how changes in crystalline structure affect the material's strength. Different types of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) were fractionated using Temperature Rising Elution Fractionation (TREF) to obtain distinct fractions based on their crystallizability, to investigate the relationship between the crystallinity and microhardness of each fraction. This study aimed to understand how changes in crystallinity affect the microhardness of LLDPE, providing valuable insights for the design and optimization of LLDPE materials for various applications where it allows for the production of tailored polymer fractions and provides valuable information about their thermal behavior. This knowledge is crucial for understanding the relationship between polymer structure, morphology, and properties, as well as for designing polymers with specific characteristics for various applications. The results illustrate, decrease in crystallinity leads to enhanced molecular mobility in the amorphous domains, which can have implications for the material's mechanical behavior, thermal properties, processing characteristics, and other relevant physical attributes.