Blends of high density polyethylene and ethylene/1-octene copolymers: Structure and properties

The morphology formation in the blends comprising a high density polyethylene (HDPE) and selected ethylene/1-octene copolymers (EOCs) was studied with variation of blend compositions using atomic force microscopy (AIM). The binary HDPE/EOC blends studied showed well phase-separated structures (macrophase separation) in consistence with individual melting and crystallization behavior of the blend components. For the blends comprising low 1-octene content copolymers, the lamellar stacks of one of the phases were found to exist side by side with that of the another phase giving rise to leaflet vein-like appearance. The formation of large HDPE lamellae particularly longer than in the pure state has been explained by considering the different melting points of the blend components. The study of strain induced structural changes in an HDPE/EOC blend revealed that at large strains, the extensive stretching of the soft EOC phase is accompanied by buckling of HDPE lamellar stack along the strain axis and subsequent microfibrils formation. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.