Anionic grafting at polyethylene surfaces
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abstract
Surface modification is an effective method for altering the surface properties while retaining the bulk properties of a polymer. Grafting onto the surface of a polymer fiber or film is an example of such and approach. Problems in controlling, the number of initiation sites, determining the extent of grafting, and side reactions like homopolymerization complicate such chemistry. This paper discusses a new approach. Entrapment functionalization of terminally functionalized polyethylene oligomers containing diarylmethly groups can be used to reproducibly prepare surface functionalized polyethylene films with know concentrations of grating initiator sites. These initiator sites can be deprotonated and used to initiate the grafting of polymethacrylonitrile to functionalized polyethylene surfaces. Using data obtained from transmission IR of the grafted films and the number of initiator sites, the extent of polymerization in the grafts can be calculated. Fluorescent probes can also be incorporated into these initiator sites, and used to gain some insight into the solvent permeability and reactivity of the grafted polyethylene surfaces.
