Evaluation of the thermal and mechanical properties of poly(ε-caprolactone), low-density polyethylene, and their blends

The thermal and mechanical properties of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL), and their blends were evaluated. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that increasing the PCL content of the blend did not change the LDPE melting temperature, but reduced the crystallinity by up to 16.8%. This behavior was related to interactions between the PCL chains and the crystalline phase of LDPE. Tensile strength and elongation at break values for the blends were lower than those for the pure polymers, which suggested an incompatibility between the polymers. The values for Young's modulus under tensile increased when PCL was added to LDPE. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.