Published : 2022-09-01

Wettability and surface free energy of a radiation-modified polyethylene film

Abstract

Effects of the electron radiation generated by a high-voltage linear accelerator on wettability and surface free energy (SFE) of low-density polyethylene (PE-LD) film were studied. Radiation doses of 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 kGy were used. Water, glycerol, formamide, diiodomethane, and a-bromonaphthalene were applied as measuring liquids for contact angle measurements. The calculations of SFE were made by Owens-Wendt and van Oss-Chaudhury-Good methods, using the results of measurements of contact angle with various systems of the measuring liquids. Wettability tests were also performed. It was found that the contact angle decreased with the rising radiation dose for all the measuring liquids and the shapes of these dependences were similar. However, significant quantitative differences were observed. The largest changes in the contact angle were detected for the dose range of up to 50 kGy. SFE values when measured by different methods and various measuring liquids differed generally in the whole range of the doses applied. Therefore, the surface free energy cannot be accepted as an absolute measure of the thermodynamic state of the surface layer of radiation-modified PE-LD film. Its values can be compared with one another only when they were determined using the same method and the same measuring or standard liquids.


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Żenkiewicz, M. (2022). Wettability and surface free energy of a radiation-modified polyethylene film. Polimery, 50(5), 365–370. Retrieved from https://polimery.ichp.vot.pl/index.php/p/article/view/1641