Extraordinary mechanical performance in disentangled UHMWPE films processed by compression molding
Ana E Ferreira1, M Rosário Ribeiro2, Henri Cramail3
1Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques, UMR5629, Université Bordeaux, CNRS, INP-Bordeaux-ENSCBP, 16, Avenue Pey Berland, Pessac Cedex F-33607, France.
Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
|November 2, 2018
Summary
A new compression molding method creates disentangled ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) films. These films exhibit enhanced crystallinity, elastic modulus, and hardness, especially when incorporating SBA-15 mesoporous silica.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a versatile polymer with excellent mechanical properties.
- Conventional processing methods can lead to entangled polymer chains, limiting material performance.
- Developing methods for disentangled UHMWPE is crucial for maximizing its potential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a simple compression molding approach for obtaining disentangled UHMWPE films.
- To investigate the effect of SBA-15 mesoporous silica incorporation on the properties of disentangled UHMWPE.
- To achieve UHMWPE films with enhanced crystallinity and mechanical properties.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing common compression molding techniques.
- Processing disentangled UHMWPE nascent powders at temperatures below the main melting peak and at high pressure.
- Incorporating SBA-15 mesoporous silica into UHMWPE powders.
Main Results:
- Successfully produced disentangled UHMWPE films from both homogeneous and SBA-15 incorporated powders.
- Achieved very high crystallinity in the disentangled UHMWPE based materials.
- Observed outstanding elastic modulus and hardness, with further increases in the UHMWPE-SBA-15 hybrids.
Conclusions:
- The proposed compression molding method is effective for producing disentangled UHMWPE films.
- The incorporation of SBA-15 mesoporous silica significantly enhances the mechanical properties of disentangled UHMWPE.
- This methodology offers a straightforward route to high-performance UHMWPE materials.
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