Effect of Addition of Soybean Oil and Gamma-Ray Cross-linking on the Nanoporous HDPE Membrane

A nanoporous high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane was prepared by a wet process. Soybean oil and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were premixed as codiluents, and gamma-rays were used for the cross-linking of HDPE. The pore volume of the nanoporous HDPE membranes with soybean oil was affected by the extracted amount of oil. The tensile strength of the membrane improved with an increasing absorbed dose up to 60 kGy, but decreased at 80 kGy due to severe degradation. The ionic conductivity of the nanoporous HDPE membrane did not really change with an increasing absorbed dose because the pores had already been formed before the gamma-ray radiation. Finally, the electrochemical stability of the HDPE membrane increased when the absorbed dose increased up to 60 kGy.