Effect of Crystallinity on Polymer Chain Compression in Polyethylene Dynamically Loaded with In-Situ X-Ray Diffraction
Abstract Polyethylene (PE) is a polymer widely used in commercial applications, where the properties of PE can be altered based on the molecular conformation. In this study, shock compression experiments with in-situ x-ray diffraction were conducted on two conformations of PE– low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Encouragingly, X-ray diffraction patterns were easily observed in LDPE, which is only 25% crystalline. In agreement with a previous study on HDPE, LDPE exhibited a phase transition at 7.7 GPa. Lower pressure experiments on UHMWPE and LDPE exhibited polymer chain compression, but no occurrence of a phase transition.
Authors
- Dana M. Dattelbaum (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9412-5917)
- Brian Bartram
- Rachel C. Huber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5875-0208)
- Jennifer L. Jordan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4596-5872)
- L. L. Gibson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2560-4439)
Institutions
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials
- Published
- 2025-04-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s40870-025-00471-z
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Polymer crystallization and properties
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.61
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Washington State University
- Office of Science
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory