Comparative thermoanalytical investigation of the cross-linking behaviour of three different paraffin waxes in the presence of potassium persulphate

The cross-linking of three different paraffin waxes - a hard oxidised wax, a medium wax, and a hard wax with narrow molar mass distribution - in the p resence of potassium persulphate (PPS) was investigated thermoanalytically. DSC and TG curves for untreated waxes and waxes treated with different amo unts of PPS were obtained and the observations were compared with gel conte nt data obtained through gravimetric analysis. Although initial indications were that cross-linking did occur, reheat curves of wax/PPS mixtures as we ll as gel content data showed that no cross-linking occurred. It was, howev er, found that PPS most probably decomposed into KHSO4 and that this decomp osition gave rise to functionalisation of the waxes. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.