Tuning High-Density Polyethylene Microstructure and Properties from Known Distributions of Dynamic Bonds.

ABSTRACT: Over 50% of plastic waste comes from a single class of polymers called polyolefins. Most recycling strategies fail to preserve the broad molecular mass distribution of these polyolefins, from which they derive their unique combination of processability and mechanical strength. Here, we show that incorporation of urethane-based dynamic bonds into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) can circumvent this issue, by strengthening the amorphous phase through interchain supramolecular interactions, as opposed to traditional entanglements from high molecular mass chains. We show that many key properties of these dynamic HDPE polymers, including percent crystallinity, melting temperature, lamellae and amorphous thicknesses, and bond association, are determined by the distribution of bond-to-bond spacin

SUBMITTER: Cooper CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12715785 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature