Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency
This study focused on developing pigmented linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) sheets while preserving their mechanical properties and infrared (IR) transparency. Six pigments—ZnO, ZnS, TiO<sub>2</sub>, FeO yellow, FeO light brown, and FeO dark brown—were each mixed with polyethylene...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/2/178 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850231525236277248 |
|---|---|
| author | Md. Saiful Hoque Mehnab Ali Xiaoruo Sun Asad Asad Patricia I. Dolez James David Hogan Dan Sameoto |
| author_facet | Md. Saiful Hoque Mehnab Ali Xiaoruo Sun Asad Asad Patricia I. Dolez James David Hogan Dan Sameoto |
| author_sort | Md. Saiful Hoque |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study focused on developing pigmented linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) sheets while preserving their mechanical properties and infrared (IR) transparency. Six pigments—ZnO, ZnS, TiO<sub>2</sub>, FeO yellow, FeO light brown, and FeO dark brown—were each mixed with polyethylene (PE) wax in a 1:1 ratio and blended with LLDPE at concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt%. Tensile strength tests showed minimal changes at lower pigment concentrations, with values near that of pure LLDPE (14 MPa), and slight reductions at 5 wt%. IR transparency tests, conducted using both direct and reflected heat sources, showed that white-pigmented sheets maintained over 85% transparency, while colored pigments exhibited slightly reduced IR transmittance, ranging from 70% to 91%. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the critical IR transparency range of 8–12 μm remained unaffected with both pure and pigmented sheets. On the other hand, ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) testing showed that white-pigmented sheets experienced enhanced visible-light absorption with increasing pigment concentration and thickness, while color-pigmented sheets exhibited high opacity. Additionally, micro-structuring was performed on the LLDPE sheets to further modify their IR properties, which resulted in effective scattering of IR radiation. These findings highlight the potential of pigmented LLDPE sheets for applications requiring both visual opacity and IR transparency, such as thermal management and camouflage, as well as applications requiring tunable IR properties. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-101f4b666a1748cfa06c655fdfce973b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-101f4b666a1748cfa06c655fdfce973b2025-08-20T02:03:31ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-01-0116217810.3390/mi16020178Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light TransparencyMd. Saiful Hoque0Mehnab Ali1Xiaoruo Sun2Asad Asad3Patricia I. Dolez4James David Hogan5Dan Sameoto6Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Human Ecology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2N1, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, CanadaThis study focused on developing pigmented linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) sheets while preserving their mechanical properties and infrared (IR) transparency. Six pigments—ZnO, ZnS, TiO<sub>2</sub>, FeO yellow, FeO light brown, and FeO dark brown—were each mixed with polyethylene (PE) wax in a 1:1 ratio and blended with LLDPE at concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt%. Tensile strength tests showed minimal changes at lower pigment concentrations, with values near that of pure LLDPE (14 MPa), and slight reductions at 5 wt%. IR transparency tests, conducted using both direct and reflected heat sources, showed that white-pigmented sheets maintained over 85% transparency, while colored pigments exhibited slightly reduced IR transmittance, ranging from 70% to 91%. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the critical IR transparency range of 8–12 μm remained unaffected with both pure and pigmented sheets. On the other hand, ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) testing showed that white-pigmented sheets experienced enhanced visible-light absorption with increasing pigment concentration and thickness, while color-pigmented sheets exhibited high opacity. Additionally, micro-structuring was performed on the LLDPE sheets to further modify their IR properties, which resulted in effective scattering of IR radiation. These findings highlight the potential of pigmented LLDPE sheets for applications requiring both visual opacity and IR transparency, such as thermal management and camouflage, as well as applications requiring tunable IR properties.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/2/178LLDPE sheetspigmentsinfrared transparencyvisibly opaquemicro-structureIR tuning |
| spellingShingle | Md. Saiful Hoque Mehnab Ali Xiaoruo Sun Asad Asad Patricia I. Dolez James David Hogan Dan Sameoto Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency Micromachines LLDPE sheets pigments infrared transparency visibly opaque micro-structure IR tuning |
| title | Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency |
| title_full | Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency |
| title_fullStr | Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency |
| title_short | Development of Visibly Opaque Polyolefin Sheets While Preserving Infrared-Light Transparency |
| title_sort | development of visibly opaque polyolefin sheets while preserving infrared light transparency |
| topic | LLDPE sheets pigments infrared transparency visibly opaque micro-structure IR tuning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/2/178 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mdsaifulhoque developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT mehnabali developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT xiaoruosun developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT asadasad developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT patriciaidolez developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT jamesdavidhogan developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency AT dansameoto developmentofvisiblyopaquepolyolefinsheetswhilepreservinginfraredlighttransparency |