Improving Foaming Properties of Low Melt-Strength Polyethylene via Controlled Crosslinking

摘要

Crosslinking is widely used to improve foaming properties for low melt-strength polyethylene. However, premature crosslinking will not only suppress the growth of microcells but will also severely affect the melt processibility. It is thus very difficult to obtain highly crosslinked foamed polyethylene products. This paper describes a novel foaming process through manipulating the viscoelasticity of the crosslinking polymer melt in response to the decomposition of the chemical blowing agent (BA). Practical guidelines to achieve low density polyethylene foam products with high crosslinking degree are provided.