Effect of surface oxidation on space charge characteristics of LDPE films

In this study, effect of surface oxidation on space charge characteristics of low density polyethylene films (LDPE) has been investigated. LDPE particles were dried for 12 hours at 60 oC and prepared into films with thicknesses of about 0.23mm by hot press method. Then the LDPE films were oxidized for different times in ozone atmosphere. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the change of surface chemical composition. The results indicated that carbonyl (C=O) has been incorporated into LDPE surface layers, and the absorption strength of C=O enhanced with increase of oxidation time. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was conducted to observe the variation of surface morphology of specimens before and after oxidation. SEM results show that surface oxidation can lead to the…