Thermal conduction behaviors of chemically cross-linked high-density polyethylenes

•The crystal structure and crystallinity of HDPE were controlled through the chemical crosslinking reaction.•Spherulite and crystallite size decreased with an increase in the crosslinking density.•Thermal conductivity synchronously decreased with a decrease in the crystallinity.

The effect of chemical crosslinking on the thermal conductivity of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was investigated. The crosslinking density of HDPE was controlled by the content of the crosslinking agent of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) in molten state. As the content of DCP increased, the gel content of HDPE increased, and crystal structure such as spherulite size and crystallite size, and crystallinity decreased, as network formation suppressed the crystallization of polymer molecules. The thermal conductivity of crosslinked HDPE was proportional to the crystallinity and reciprocal to the gel content.

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