Study on Preparation of a Low Density Polyethylene Particle by Emulsion Crystallization.

In this work, an emulsion crystallization was made to investigate the possibility of the preparation of fine particles. The method selected was intended to prepare a micron-sized low density polyethylene particle. Dodecanol as a theta solvent and diethylene glycol as a non-solvent were selected. Operating conditions, such as composition of solution, concentration of polyethylene, stirring speed, and temperature of the polymer solution were investigated. The polymer particles obtained by emulsion crystallization were spherical, with mean size ranging from 0.5 μm to 5 μm. As a result, we observed the instability of the emulsion for crystallization conditions. This instability has an effect on the mean diameter and particle size distribution of the prepared particles.