Introducing ionic liquid (ILs) into ultra-high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) to form composites is a promising approach in enhancing the processability of UHMWPE and thus broaden its applications in industries. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the effect of ILs, we conducted a systematic study on the UHMWPE/ILs composites with various ILs content under different applied tensile strains (0.28, 0.47 and 0.94 %) and room temperature. Constant strain-rate tests are also performed at five constant strain rates over the range of 2 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ to 1.7 × 10⁻¹ s⁻¹. The generalized Maxwell model was employed to model the time-dependent relaxation modulus, and the modelling results agree well with the experimental measurements. Moreover, experimental yield stress were modelled by...[ Read more ]

Introducing ionic liquid (ILs) into ultra-high molecular polyethylene (UHMWPE) to form composites is a promising approach in enhancing the processability of UHMWPE and thus broaden its applications in industries. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the effect of ILs, we conducted a systematic study on the UHMWPE/ILs composites with various ILs content under different applied tensile strains (0.28, 0.47 and 0.94 %) and room temperature. Constant strain-rate tests are also performed at five constant strain rates over the range of 2 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ to 1.7 × 10⁻¹ s⁻¹. The generalized Maxwell model was employed to model the time-dependent relaxation modulus, and the modelling results agree well with the experimental measurements. Moreover, experimental yield stress were modelled by the cooperative model based on Eyring’s activation theory and collective motion of chain segments under a fixed temperature. Analysis of the modelling results suggests that both the activation volume and the energy barrier are reduced by the addition of ILs, resulting in enhanced mobilities of chain segments and processibility of the UHMWPE.