Development of Microporous Breathable Polyethylene Film Using Different Types of Linear Low-Density Polyethylene with Calcium Carbonate as Filler

Abstract

In order to improve the conformity of the glove wearers, the microporous breathable polyethylene gloves are developed using Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Ziegler-Natta Linear-Low Density Polyethylene (ZNLLDPE), Metallocene Linear-Low Density Polyethylene (MLLDPE) and calcium carbonate filler (CC). In this study, LDPE/ZNLLDPE/CC and LDPE/MLLDPE/CC microporous films were prepared to investigate the influence of ZNLLDPE and MLLDPE on the film breathability and elongation. The microporous films were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and Particulate Filtration Efficiency (PFE) analysis, Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) testing and mechanical properties testing. Based on the result, LDPE-MLLDPE film yielded film breathability of 335.73 g/m2 ∙ day which is 95.3% higher than LDPE-ZNLLDPE film due to the higher LDPE-MLLDPE film crystallinity and prominent dewetting behaviour between CC and LDPE/MLLDPE matrix. Moreover, the high degree of tie molecules in MLLDPE enabled the film to stretch further upon film elongation. Therefore, LDPE-MLLDPE film showed up to 207.2% comparatively better film elongation than LDPE-ZNLLDPE film. The improved film breathability and film elongation render the mixture of LDPE/MLLDPE/CC as a better material for breathable polyethylene glove production.