Course of degradation and build-up reactions in isotactic polypropylene during peroxide decomposition

Abstract

In the investigation of the course of degradation and build-up reactions during the decomposition of the tert-butyl perbenzoate (TBPB) (at eight different concentrations) in isotactic polypropylene (iPP), it was found that, at the beginning of the peroxide decomposition at all investigated peroxide concentrations from 4.62–200 mmol/kg iPP, the degradation reactions of iPP prevailed. At the TBPB concentration of ≤37.0 mmol/kg iPP during the whole period of peroxide decomposition, degradation reactions leading to a lower of molecular mass of PP prevailed. But at higher peroxide concentrations of TBPB ≥74.4 mmol/kg iPP and at the later stage of peroxide decomposition, a predominance of the build-up reactions, that is, an increase the molecular mass, was observed. The degradation and build-up reactions were determined from the measurements of the melting-flow indexes of the peroxide-treated iPP samples. The reaction mechanism of the degradation and build-up reactions in iPP is discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 886–893, 2000