Fogging Control on LDPE/EVA Coextruded Films: Wettability Behavior and Its Correlation with Electric Performance
by
Miguel A. Waldo-Mendoza 1,*
,
Zoe V. Quiñones-Jurado 1,*,
Juan C. Pérez-Medina 1,
Bernardo Yañez-Soto 2 and
Pedro E. Ramírez-González 1,2
Miguel A. Waldo-Mendoza 1,*,
Zoe V. Quiñones-Jurado 1,*,
Juan C. Pérez-Medina 1,
Bernardo Yañez-Soto 2 and
Pedro E. Ramírez-González 1,2
1
Innovación y Desarrollo en Materiales Avanzados A. C., Grupo POLYnnova, Carr. San Luis Potosí-Guadalajara 1510, Nivel 3, Local 12, Lomas del Tecnológico, San Luis Potosí 78211, Mexico
2
Instituto de Física “Manuel Sandoval Vallarta”, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Álvaro Obregón 64, San Luis Potosí 78000, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Chuyang Tang
Membranes 2017, 7(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes7010011
Received: 17 December 2016 / Revised: 14 February 2017 / Accepted: 16 February 2017 / Published: 22 February 2017
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.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
AC electrical conductivity; wettability; nonionic surfactants; ethylenevinyl acetate; low-density polyethylene; coextruded films
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Waldo-Mendoza, M.A.; Quiñones-Jurado, Z.V.; Pérez-Medina, J.C.; Yañez-Soto, B.; Ramírez-González, P.E. Fogging Control on LDPE/EVA Coextruded Films: Wettability Behavior and Its Correlation with Electric Performance. Membranes 2017, 7, 11.
Show more citation formats
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
