Self-initiating performance of maleic anhydride on surface photografting polymerization

Maleic anhydride (MAH) was photografted onto low-density polyethylene (LDPE ) films with a grafting efficiency of about 70% in the absence of a photoin itiator. The self-initiating performance was attributed to a mechanism of a bstracting hydrogen atoms from LDPE chains by excited MAH dimers. The suppo rting experimental results were as follows: (1) the far-UV radiation (200-3 00 nm) was indispensable for the graft polymerization and 2) the crosslinki ng reaction of LDPE inevitably accompanied the grafting of MAH. In addition , the initiation performance of MAH was further confirmed by surface photog rafting of acrylic acid in the presence of MAH, where MAH was used as the p hotoinitiator. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.