abstract

• The transformation of fog at a non-visible water layer on a membrane of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) was evaluated. Nonionic surfactants of major demand in the polyolefin industry were studied. A kinetic study using a hot fog chamber showed that condensation is controlled by both the diffusion and permanency of the surfactant more than by the change of the surface energy developed by the wetting agents. The greatest permanency of the anti-fog effect of the LDPE/EVA surface was close to 3000 h. The contact angle results demonstrated the ability of the wetting agent to spread out to the surface. Complementarily, the migration of nonionic surfactants from the inside of the polymeric matrix to the surface was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy. Additionally, electrical measurement on the anti-fogging membrane at alternating currents and at a sweep frequency was proposed to test the conductivity and wetting ability of nonionic surfactants. We proved that the amphiphilic molecules had the ability to increase the conductivity in the polyolefin membrane. A correlation between the bulk electrical conductivity and the permanency of the fogging control on the LDPE/EVA coextruded film was found. © 2017 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

authors

• Pérez-Medina J.C.
• Quiñones-Jurado Z.V.
• Ramírez González Pedro Ezequiel
• Waldo-Mendoza M.A.
• Yáñez Soto Bernardo

publication date

• 2017-01-01

published in

• Membranes  Journal

keywords

• AC electrical conductivity; Coextruded films; Ethylenevinyl acetate; Low-density polyethylene; Nonionic surfactants; Wettability Electric conductivity; Ethylene; Fog; Fog dispersal; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; Low density polyethylenes; Nonionic surfactants; Polyethylenes; Surface active agents; Thermoplastic elastomers; Wetting agents; AC electrical conductivity; Amphiphilic molecules; Coextruded films; Electrical conductivity; Electrical measurement; Ethylene vinyl acetates; Fourier transform infrared microscopies; Low density polyethylene(LDPE); Wetting

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.3390/membranes7010011

start page

end page

volume

• 7

issue

• 1