TITLE:
Characterization and Lifetime Estimation of High Density Polyethylene Containing a Prodegradant Agent
AUTHORS:
Cynthia D. C. Erbetta, Raquel C. S. Azevedo, Karen S. Andrade, Maria Elisa S. R. e Silva, Roberto F. S. Freitas, Ricardo G. Sousa
KEYWORDS:
Lifetime, High Density Polyethylene, Prodegradant Agent, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Activation Energy
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.8 No.13,
December
8,
2017
ABSTRACT: High density polyethylene (HDPE) samples, containing
different concentrations of prodegradant additive d2w®, were prepared. The properties of the samples were
evaluated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), rheometry, and scanning electron microscopy
(SEM). The work contributes to decreasing the products made of
non-biodegradable polymeric materials derived from fossil sources which are
have become a problem due to their increasingly inappropriate disposal and long
degradation time in the environment. The obtained results indicated that there
was no degradation of the samples due to processing. No significant changes in
melting temperature, crystallinity, viscoelastic behavior, molecular weight and
chemical composition were observed. Images from SEM analysis showed particles
on HDPE surface, attributed to prodegradant additive d2w®. Oxidation Onset Temperature (OOT) results showed
that the additive d2w® accelerated
the degradation of HDPE. The activation energy (Ea) was determined by
Ozawa-Wall-Flynn method. The obtained values were used for lifetime estimation
of the samples. At 25°C, HDPE with d2w® showed a lifetime 50% higher than that of HDPE
without this additive. This fact is attributed to the presence of stabilizers
in masterbatch d2w® and
the absence of oxygen in thermogravimetric analysis.