Polymer Network Mobility and Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance of High Density Polyethylene

Zero shear viscosity and molecular weight between entanglements (M e ) are determined from dynamic oscillatory shear experiments. Lower M e value means higher number of entanglements in the system and is associated with increasing strain hardening stiffness. With the understanding that strain hardening is related to environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) of high density polyethylene (HDPE), M e is then related to the ESCR of several resins in this study. The inversely proportional relationship between M e and ESCR indicates that low network mobility due to an increasing number of chain entanglements increases the ESCR of HDPE.