Material propertiesImpact of biodiesel sorption on mechanical properties of polyethylene

The time-dependent sorption of biodiesel in a typical polyethylene for container applications is investigated in comparison to conventional diesel fuel at three different temperatures. In this context, the desorption behavior is also addressed. Subsequently, the effects of both penetrants on mechanical properties are characterized in terms of impact strength and dynamic-mechanical analysis. The discussion of property changes is firstly based on the sorption kinetics of biodiesel and diesel, which is determined by immersion experiments allowing for the calculation of respective diffusion coefficients. Changes in impact strength as determined by the Charpy method are further characterised in more detail by analyzing the fracture surfaces, and correlated with results of dynamic-mechanical analysis.