Technique able to evaluate the degree of polymerization of polyethylene by gravimetric method and reflux cooling system.
The cross-linked polyethylene is first prepared in small flakes, weighed and inserted into a metal mesh permeable to liquids but with holes smaller than the size of the sample.
It is subsequently washed with organic solvent and placed in an organic solution capable of reducing the sample to the exclusively cross-linked portion, so that the final weight corresponds to the cross-linked polyethylene, which was therefore not removed during the reaction.
The percentage of crosslinking is then calculated by gravimetry.
Test performed mainly for tank materials; the test is required at the level of automotive sector specifications.
