Effect of Cloisite® 30B on the Diffusion of Irganox 1076 in HDPE

The diffusion of a thermal stabilizer, Irganox 1076, is studied both in pure high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and HDPE matrix filled with 1 wt% of Cloisite® 30B. The diffusion experiments are carried out by using the Roe method formed by a stack of several polymer films of 120 ± 01 μm in thickness. In this study, a simple method is used to measure the diffusion coefficient, with the aid of Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy without any extraction or refining steps in the analysis. The diffusion coefficient (D_p) of both materials are obtained in the temperature range 80–100°C using the second Fick's law. By applying the Arrhenius equation to the calculated D_p coefficients, an estimation of activation energies of the diffusion process is also achieved. The results indicate that the diffusion coefficient of Irganox 1076 in HDPE has been decreased by adding 1% of Cloisite® 30B.