Morphology of polyethylene ski base materials.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Ski bases utilize carbon black-filled polyethylene for performance.
• Understanding material morphology changes during processing is crucial for ski base quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively analyze carbon black-filled polyethylene ski base grades.
• To evaluate polyethylene phase fractions (amorphous, disordered, crystalline) during processing.
• To investigate morphological changes from raw material to finished ski base.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution Raman spectroscopy for morphological analysis.
• Differential scanning calorimetry for thermal property assessment.
• Raman mapping to assess phase fractions and carbon black segregation.

Main Results:

• Sufficient segregation between carbon black and polyethylene was confirmed in sinter grades.
• Processing led to significant polyethylene morphological changes, decreasing crystallinity and increasing amorphous phase.
• Morphological changes were most pronounced on the surface of structured ski bases, showing the highest amorphous fractions.

Conclusions:

• Raman spectroscopy is applicable for evaluating polyethylene phase fractions in ski base materials.
• Processing significantly impacts polyethylene morphology, with surface structuring causing the most substantial changes.
• The amorphous phase fraction increases throughout processing, particularly at the ski base surface.