Rheological behavior of low-density poly(ethylene) and of Its composites

This chapter reviews the current state of the art referring to the rheology of low-density Poly(ethylene) (LDPE)-based systems: undoubtedly, processing this commodity, alone or in combination of different micro- to nano-fillers, requires a deep knowledge of its rheological behavior, in order to be able to set up the process parameters. In particular, after an overview of the fundamentals of rheology of thermoplastics (also including the main rheological tests employed for this characterization), the chapter will discuss the specific rheological behavior of LDPE, and how fillers ranging from micro- to nano-scale may affect it.