HETEROGENEOUS REACTIONS OF POLYETHYLENE .2. DISTORTION OF CRYSTALLITES DUE TO CHLORINATION

In the reported experiments, the effect of heterogeneous chlorination of high-density polyethylene on its crystalline regions was investigated by NMR, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy. Crystallites remained inaccessible to attack by chlorine, even after extensive chlorination, however, their perfection was affected by extensive chlorination of the adjacent amorphous regions. The substitution by chlorine induces much smaller conformational changes in the polymer chains than substitution by SO//2Cl.