Reactive melt modification of LDPE/PB-1 systems by poly-functional monomers

Reactive extrusion was employed to establish long chain branching in PP/PB-1 blends in the presence of trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) and dicumyl peroxide as trifunctional monomer and radical initiator, respectively. SEM images were applied to prove the action of branching in the blend by illustrating the changes in the structure and moving from matrix-droplet morphology to somehow co-continuous structure. In addition, FTIR measurements were employed to show the efficiency of grafting reaction in the system and also determining the optimum amount of TMPTMA for branching.

Keywords:

Polyethylene , Branching process , Reactive extrusion , SEM analysis , TMPTMA