[Chemical Knowledge]：What is PE plastic?

Read： 440 Time：18months ago Source：Transform the World with Simplicity

PE is the abbreviation of polyethylene, is a thermoplastic plastic, widely used in packaging, construction, medicine, automotive, electrical, electronics, aerospace and other industrial fields, it is one of the most common and important plastics in the world.

polyethylene is made from ethylene (commonly known as ethylene gas) as a monomer and is made through a chemical reaction. Polyethylene is divided into high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) two kinds. The density of LDPE is between 0.910 and 0.925g/cm³, and the density of HDPE is between 0.940 and 0.965g/cm³. The difference between the two kinds of LDPE and HDPE lies in the reaction conditions of monomer polymerization, mainly the different catalysts used in the polymerization reaction, which leads to the different results of polyethylene phase structure.

PE has many excellent physical and chemical properties and is widely used in various fields. It has the following characteristics:

1. Corrosion resistance: PE has strong chemical stability at room temperature and is not affected by most acids, alkalis and salts.

2: low permeability: due to the internal structure of polyethylene is relatively tight, so it has good gas permeability, liquid permeability and vapor permeability.

3. Low temperature resistance: Polyethylene has good low temperature performance and can maintain good physical properties at lower temperatures.

4. High wear resistance: PE has a smooth surface, excellent wear resistance, and excellent performance in particle wear and impact resistance.

5. Good mechanical properties: PE has excellent mechanical properties, such as high toughness, high strength, high stiffness, etc.

6. easy processing: PE is easy to process into various shapes, can use extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, compression molding and other processing methods.

PE has a wide range of applications in the market and prospects. In the packaging industry, PE can be used as a variety of bags, bags, containers and packaging film; in the construction industry, PE can be used to manufacture insulation materials and various pipes; in the pharmaceutical and food industries, PE can also be used because it meets the standards of the health sector and can be used in the manufacture of disposable glass, aluminum foil, cling film and fresh-keeping boxes.

Although PE is very widely used, it also has some problems. For example, the production of PE requires fossil energy raw materials, so it will cause environmental pollution and resource depletion in the production process. In addition, since PE is not easily degraded, its waste disposal is also a major problem.

PE is a very good plastic, it has a wide range of applications and good performance, but we use PE at the same time, but also need to consider its possible impact on the environment. In the future, we also need to develop more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives to solve the problems caused by PE and other plastics.