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One product - a whole range of characteristics
EVM without vinyl acetate would in effect be polyethylene (PE). And EVM without ethylene would be polyvinyl acetate. Both of these are thermoplastic materials. However, there are a wide range of technical possibilities between these two extremes.
For example, statistical mixing of vinyl acetate (VA) and ethylene components during the Levamelt® synthesis process results in an extremely flexible chain molecule considerably less rigid than that of polyethylene or brittle polyvinyl acetate (PVA). With a vinyl acetate content of between around 40 and 70 %, the material behaves like a perfect elastomer, resulting in a highly resistant rubber material with the robustness of polyethylene.
Integrating vinyl acetate components into the non-polar polyethylene chain results in further advantages. Each % of VA makes the polymer more polar. Pure vinyl acetate is almost as polar as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). For example, the oil resistance of Levamelt® increases with the VA content. EVM grades with a high vinyl acetate content hardly even swell in hot oil baths.
The polarity can also be adjusted using the VA content which ensures excellent compatibility with polar fillers such as silica or other polar polymers such as PVC. Therefore, Levamelt® is also an ideal polymeric plasticizer (i.e. a plasticizer which cannot be washed out) for this popular plastic.
Moreover, the glass transition temperature of the polymer changes as the VA content increases. With 50 % vinyl acetate, the glass transition temperature is almost permanently under -30 °C. With higher VA content, this temperature increases to up to 0 °C at 80 % VA.
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