Controlled gas-phase sulfonation of low-density polyethylene films

✍ Scribed by Jacqueline M. Allan; R. Larry Dooley; Shalaby W. Shalaby

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 150 KB
• Volume: 76
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(20000624)76:13<1865::aid-app3>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

In the current research, a highly controllable system operating at low temperatures and for short reaction times is employed for the surface sulfonation of low-density polyethylene. This system provides the advantages of short reaction times and low reaction temperatures, as compared with previous methods of surface sulfonation. Low-density polyethylene films were sulfonated at 40°C for time periods ranging from 5 to 30 min. Subsequently, all films were analyzed by SEM, EDX, horizontal ATR-FTIR, surface roughness, and dynamic contact-angle measurements. Sulfonation was effected at all reaction times. The degree of surface sulfonation increased through 10 min and reached a maximum between 10-and 30-min reaction times with concomitant changes in the physicochemical properties of the material. At 30 min, the film topography changed substantially, indicating that sulfonation was no longer limited to a strictly surface reaction.