Effect of the addition of lithium carbonate on the properties of low density polyethylene

For improvement of the properties of polyethylene (PE), γ-ray was irradiated to the lithium carbonate added PE. An increase in the numbers of OH and C=C bonds was observed from FT-IR measurements. The melting temperature (or the vanishing temperature of crystallinity by X-ray diffraction) of the lithium carbonate added PE after γ-ray irradiation (106 Gy) was 20degC higher than that of the PE's with no additives and with quartz added PE. The lamellae of lithium carbonate added PE were not observed in the scanning electron micrographs. This vanishing of lamellae of the lithium carbonate added PE was also suggested by the extinction of the maltese cross with a polarizing microscope. (author)