PE vs PVC, What is the difference between PE and PVC Material ?

PE vs PVC, What is the difference between PE and PVC Material ?

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PE and PVC are two common chemical raw materials. This article will focus on the difference between PE and PVC these two chemical raw materials.

What is PE Material?

PE, full name Polyethylene, is the simplest macromolecular organic compound and the most widely used macromolecular material in the world today. It is made by polymerizing ethylene and is divided into high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene according to density.

 

What is PVC Material?

PVC is actually a vinyl polymer material, and its material is a non-crystalline material. In actual use, stabilizers, lubricants, auxiliary processing agents, colorants, impact agents and other additives are often added to PVC materials. It has non-flammability, high strength, resistance to climate change and excellent geometric stability. PVC has strong resistance to oxidants, reducing agents and strong acids. However, it can be corroded by concentrated oxidizing acids such as concentrated sulfuric acid and concentrated nitric acid and is not suitable for contact with aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

What is the difference between PE and PVC?

(1) Applications

PE is often used to make plastic wrap, vest-type plastic bags, plastic food bags, baby bottles, buckets, kettles, etc. PVC can also be used to make plastic wrap, plastic shoes and leather products, films, and plastic bags. In the wire, cable, and optical cable industry, PVC materials can also be used to make the outer sheath of optical cables.

(2) Characteristics

PE is relatively soft and feels waxy. Compared with similar plastics, it is relatively light in weight and has a certain degree of transparency. When it burns, the flame is blue. PVC is a hard plastic and is often used in the industrial field. Commercially available high-density polyethylene (HDPE) has a density of 0.945~0.96 g/cm3 and a melting point of 125~137 degrees Celsius. Linear low-density PE (LLDPE) has a density of 0.925 g/cm3 and a melting point of 120~125 degrees Celsius.



High-pressure low-density PE (HP-LDPE) has a density of 0.918 g/cm3 and a melting point of 105~115 degrees Celsius. The density of PVC is 1.4 g/cm3. The melting temperature is 120~210 degrees Celsius and it is insoluble in general organic solvents such as hydrocarbons, alcohols, and esters. It is soluble in tetrahydrofuran, methyl ethyl ketone, cyclopentanone, nitrobenzene, dimethyl sulfoxide, etc. It has good acid and alkali resistance.

Common Feature Comparisons

Property	PE	PVC
Density	Smaller than water	Larger
Rigidity	Poor	Good
Shrinkage	Average	Good
Toughness	Good	Poor
Strength	Low	High
Heat resistance	Average	Poor
Chemical stability	Good	Good
Weather resistance	Poor	Average
Toxicity	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Adhesive	Poor	Poor
Heat seal	Good	Average
Moldability	Good	Difficult

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