Comparative thermoanalytical investigation of the cross-linking behaviour of three different paraffin waxes in the presence of dicumyl peroxide

The cross-linking of three different paraffin waxes - a hard oxidized wax, a medium wax, and a hard wax with narrow molar mass distribution - in the p resence of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was investigated thermoanalytically. DSC and TG curves for untreated waxes and waxes treated with different amounts of DCP were obtained and the observations were compared with gel content da ta obtained through gravimetric analysis. It was found that all three waxes cross-linked in the presence of DCP, with the extent of cross-linking incr easing with increasing DCP : wax ratio. It was also clear that the higher m elting fractions of the different waxes preferably cross-linked. From the g el content data it seems as if the oxidized and higher molar mass waxes ten d to cross-link at a faster rate. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.