Cross-linked thermoplastic blends of polyethylene with an elastomer - 2. Some structural characteristics and their relationship with mechanical properties

Results of an experimental investigation into the changes of some structural characteristics of binary blends of high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene with an elastomer (ethylene-propylene-dicyclopentadiene terpolymer, EPDM) in the course of gamma-radiation and chemical cross-linking are reported for a wide range of component ratios. The data on changes in the crystallinity, density of the blends, content of the cross-linked part, as well the correlation of these characteristics with some mechanical properties, are discussed. Suggestions are put forward about the possibility of formation of a combined amorphous PE-EPDM phase with a higher structural arrangement than that it? the individual components.