Radiation processing of polyolefin blends. I. Crosslinking of EPDM-PP blends

Radiation crosslinking of polymer blends containing the ethylene-propylene terpolymer (EPDM) and polypropylene (PP) was studied. Four binary systems w ith mixng ratios of 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, and 20/80 w/w and the individual c omponents were gamma-processed. The development of the gel content formed i n irradiated blends proved that the increase in PP concentration generated an increasing insoluble fraction. A linear dependence of the gel fraction o n PP concentration was found. The optimal dose range for the efficient cros slinking of all EPDM/PP blends was 40-180 kGy. The use of PP customer waste was also examined. The thermal stability of the studied mixtures was asses sed in order to state the contribution of the components to the radiation c ompatibilization of investigated polymers. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.