Structural effects on thermal properties and morphology in XLPE

This study investigated the morphological, thermal and mechanical changes with increasing crosslink density for two low density polyethylenes (LDPE). A reference LDPE was compared with an LDPE containing a higher number of vinyl groups that was introduced via a copolymerisation with a diene. During crosslinking, two reactions simultaneously occur in the copolymer, i.e. a reaction of the vinyl groups and combination crosslinking. After crosslinking with a low amount of peroxide, the majority of the crosslinks originate from reacted vinyl groups in the LDPE containing the higher number of vinyl groups, whereas the crosslinks in the reference LDPE originate from combination crosslinking, thus leading to different crosslinked structures for the two polymers. The melt temperature, crystallisation temperature, and degree of crystallinity were measured using a Differential Scanning Calorimeter. Thermal fractionation studies and morphology studies were also made. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry results show a decrease in those properties for both materials along with a concurrent change in the morphology when the crosslink density increased. The results deviate slightly between the materials