HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE HYDROGENATED OLIGO(CYCLOPENTADIENE) BLENDS - PHASE-STRUCTURE, THERMAL AND MECHANIAL PROPERTIES

The article discusses the influence of an oligomeric resin, hydrogenated oligo (cyclopentadiene) (HOCP), on the morphology and properties of its blends with high density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE/HOCP blends after solidification contain three phases: the crystalline phase of HDPE and two amorphous phases, one rich in amorphous HDPE and the other in HOCP. DSC thermograms and the loss modulus behaviors show that the gamma transition is influenced by HOCP molecules and, in addition to the alpha(c) transition of HDPE, there is another transition that is attributed to the HOCP-rich phase. The hypothesis of the two amorphous phases is confirmed by the optical microscopy observations performed on isothermally crystallized blend films