Abstract
Electron beam (EB) radiation was investigated as a means to initiate coupling between the fiberglass and plastic phases in fiberglass/polyethylene plastic composites using two bifunctional compounds, 12‐azido‐1‐diazo‐2‐dodecanone (A) and 1‐diazo‐17‐octadecene‐2‐one (B). Chemical studies reveal that EB radiation has the potential to bind both of these compounds to fiberglass. Fiberglass coated with either A or B shows reduced values of percentage recovery upon exposure to EB, indicating a reaction between these compounds and the glass surface. However, even 400 kGy of radiation was not as effective as a heat treatment for 45 min at 150°C. To test the effectiveness of EB radiation to couple these compounds to polyethylene, fiberglass samples were heat‐treated with compounds A and B, followed by extrusion mixing with polyethylene, and exposure of molded tensile and impact samples to EB radiation. Compound B showed the best overall ability to couple with the polyethylene matrix, but a 400‐kGy dose was necessary to bring about substantial coupling. At 400 kGy, samples containing B showed a 23% improvement in tensile properties and a 30% change in Izod impact. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2579–2594, 2002