Effect of carbon nanotube addition on molecular orientation of polyethylene

Abstract

Structure and properties for strands extruded from a capillary rheometer were studied using polyethylene (PE) containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We found that the CNT addition surprisingly enhances the chain orientation of PE. The oriented CNTs greatly accelerate the flow-induced crystallization of PE. These findings demonstrate that it will be a new method to enhance the rigidity of PE effectively.Structure and properties for strands extruded from a capillary rheometer were studied using polyethylene (PE) containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We found that the CNT addition surprisingly enhances the chain orientation of PE. The oriented CNTs greatly accelerate the flow-induced crystallization of PE. These findings demonstrate that it will be a new method to enhance the rigidity of PE effectively.