The Effect of a Biodegradable Additive on the Mechanical and Morphological Properties of HDPE and LDPE Polymers

The long degradation time of commonly used plastic materials leads to serious environmental pollution. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are among the most widely used polymers in industrial applications. In this study, a commercially available oxo-degradable additive (Addiflex-HES), designed to promote oxidative degradation of conventional polyethylene, was incorporated into LDPE and HDPE at varying ratios, and the effect of this additive on the mechanical behavior of the materials was investigated. Within the scope of the study, specimens containing 0%, 1%, 3%, and 5% additive have been prepared. Test specimens were produced using injection molding in accordance with standard tensile and impact test geometries. Tensile tests, impact tests (Charpy and Izod), and Vicat softening temperature tests were conducted. In addition, the surface morphologies of the specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results were analyzed comparatively. The findings showed that the additive content significantly affected the mechanical properties of both LDPE and HDPE. The oxo-degradable additive used in this study reduced the mechanical performance of both materials. The results showed that the mechanical properties of the LDPE samples were more pronouncedly affected by the biodegradable additive than those of the HDPE samples.