INVESTIGADORES
PEREZ Claudio Javier
artículos
Título:
Early detection of degradation in a semi-crystalline polyolefin by a successive self-nucleation and annealing technique
Autor/es:
C.J. PÉREZ, J.M. CARELLA
Revista:
POLYMER DEGRADATION AND STABILITY
Editorial:
Elsevier
Referencias:
Año: 2007 vol. 92 p. 1213 - 1218
ISSN:
0141-3910
Resumen:
Samples taken from a pipeline black liner that became fragile while in service were analyzed by the Successive Self-Nucleation and Annealing (SSA) technique. Two types of polyethylene, Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) were aged in air, at several temperatures, and changes in the molecular structure were followed simultaneously by infrared and calorimetric techniques. Samples with and without antioxidants were prepared, aged, and evaluated for the same oxidative treatments. The LDPE type was chosen specifically because its structure and properties were identical to the black LDPE originally used for making the pipeline liner. Oxidative reactions of LDPE and LLDPE were quantified via carbonyl groups concentrations measured by FTIR. Changes in the crystallization behavior of the original and aged polymers, and of the black pipeline liner, were monitored via the SSA technique. Changes of the fraction of lamellae of specific thickness in the crystallized polymer could be correlated linearly with the evolution of carbonyl concentrations, and thus this calorimetric method is proposed to be used as a tool for early quantitative monitoring of LDPE degradation.