Journal of Materials Science, Vol.35, No.13, 3227-3236, 2000
Ultradrawing gel films of blends of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and low molecular weight polyethylenes with different molecular weights
The ultradrawing behavior of five series of gel films prepared from the blends of one ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and five other low molecular weight polyethylene (LMWPE) resins with varying molecular weight is reported. The critical draw ratio (lambda(c)) of each of the five UHMWPE/LMWPE gel film series were found to depend significantly upon the amount of LMWPE present in each of the gel film series. The presence of optimum amounts of LMWPE in each of the five gel film series can significantly improve their lambda(c) values, and this improvement in lambda(c) can further be enhanced with the addition of an optimum molecular weight of LMWPE. These interesting phenomena were investigated in terms of reduced viscosities of the solutions, thermal analysis, birefringence and tensile properties of these undrawn and drawn gel films.