Photografting of acrylic acid on high density polyethylene powder in vapour phase

A photografting technique was explored as a means of functionalizing high density polyethylene (HDPE) powder. The graft copolymerization reaction of acrylic acid on HDPE powder and the surface structure of grafted HDPE powder were studied in terms of grafting degree and grafting efficiency, and by FTIR and ESCA. The results show that the surface of chemically inert HDPE powder pretreated by an acetone solution of benzophenone (BP) can be graft-copolymerized with acrylic acid by photografting in the vapour phase. Thereby, the grafting degree is increased but the grafting efficiency is decreased with increasing reaction time. When the BP concentration in pretreatment solution is increased, the grafting degree is increased to a maximum, and is then reduced. The most suitable reaction temperature is 90 degreesC. Grafting degree can reach the quite high value of 10.6wt% under the conditions of BP concentration 1.0wt%, reaction time 1 h and temperature 90 degreesC. (C) 2000 Society of Chemical Industry.