Grafting of maleic anhydride on polyethylene. I. Mechanism of grafting in a heterogeneous medium in the presence of radical initiators

Abstract

Abstract Polyethylene has been grafted with maleic anhydride, as proved by the infrared spectra and the properties of the grafted films. The influence of oxygen and a comparison of the effectiveness of benzoyl peroxide and AIBN showed that polyethylene macroradicals are formed through the decomposition of hydroperoxide and peroxide groups. Side chains of poly(maleic anhydride) are formed by a combination of polyethylene macroradicals with those of poly(maleic anhydride). This mechanism of reaction was confirmed by the influence of the amount of film, the initiator and monomer concentrations, and temperature on the percentage of grafting.