The influence of aqueous media containing organic additions on the properties of low density polyethylene

Abstract Variations in a number of physical properties have been investigated in low density polyethylene films exposed to the action of aqueous media containing organic additions. It has been found that the sonic velocity decreases and the breaking elongation increases with the time of exposure to these media. Data obtained by structural methods show that these changes stem from reductions in the degree of crystallinity and degree of orientation of initial films. It is shown that a rise in the medium exposure temperature activites structural ageing processes. It has also been found that photostabilizing carbon black in a film inhibits the structural ageing process rather effectively. It is proposed that this is due to a reduction in the effective concentration of molecules of the medium migrating into the film volume, which is the result of some of these molecules being bound by the highly developed surface of carbon black molecules.