Synthesis and Characterization of Deuterated Polyethylene

Due to its remarkable isotope effects, excellent kinetic stability towards C—D bond break, high degree of deuteration, and being non-radioactive, deuterated polyethylene (d-PE) is widely used in many fields, such as in inertially confined fusion (ICF) as target material, in production of low loss plastic optical fibers, and in study of the compatibility of different polymers. For the necessary of ICF, the d-PE was synthesized by the anionic polymerization and palladium-catalyzed hydrogenation. Furthermore, by the method of FTIR, ¹H NMR and GPC, the deuterated ratio and structure of d-PE have been characterized. The results show that the d-PE has the high deuterated ratio and molecular weight, narrow molecular-weight distribution, the polymer material fits the basic necessary of ICF .