Research on the Anti-Ultraviolet Aging Performance of Fishery HDPE/UHMWPE-Blended Monofilaments

To enhance the anti-ultraviolet aging capacity of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) monofilaments for fishery applications, this study prepared pure HDPE and a blend of HDPE/UHMWPE (80/20 wt%) monofilaments via a melt spinning process. Systematic ultraviolet accelerated-aging experiments were conducted on these monofilaments for durations ranging from 0 to 600 h. The evolution of material properties was assessed using various quantitative characterization methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mechanical tensile testing. The results indicate that after 600 h of aging, the density and size of surface cracks in the blended monofilament are significantly lower than those observed in pure HDPE. The carbonyl index (<i>CI</i>) and unsaturated index (<i>UI</i>) of the blend are approximately 55% and 40% of those of pure HDPE, respectively. Additionally, the initial thermal decomposition temperature (<i>T</i>_5%), as determined by TGA, decreases by only 13 °C, which is a considerably lower reduction than the 28 °C observed for pure HDPE. Furthermore, the attenuation rates of breaking strength and elongation at break for the blended monofilament are 43.7% and 54.0%, respectively, which are markedly lower than the corresponding rates of 54.5% and 66.0% for pure HDPE. Research indicates that the observed performance improvement is closely linked to the synergistic mechanism of the "physical hindration-structural skeleton" formed by the UHMWPE phase. Furthermore, this mechanism may interact synergistically with the antioxidants present in the system, thereby altering the material's failure mode from "rapid brittle failure" to "progressive slow deterioration." This study offers novel modification strategies and experimental references for developing high-performance, UV-resistant polyolefin materials suitable for fishery applications.