No abstract

HDPE/LDPE blends and the pure components were crosslinked either by irradiation or by di-tert-butyl peroxide in the liquid state. The degree of crosslinkage was characterized by the reciprocal degree of swelling Q -1 (xylene, 2 h, 140°C). Above a critical degree of crosslinkage corresponding to Q -l = 0,2 the DSC curves of HDPE/LDPE blends show only one single crystallization peak on cooling from the melt and only one single melting peak on subsequent heating. This is an unequivocal proof for the single phase structure of HDPE/LDPE blends in the liquid state. Crosslinking with Q-I 2 0,2 prohibits fractional crystallization and forces the unbranched CH, sequences of both components between the crosslinks into one crystal lattice.