Modification of polyethylene by radiation-induced graft copolymerization of N-phenyl maleimide and p- hydroxy N-phenylmaleimide

Abstract

Polyethylene (PE) films were grafted with N-phenylmaleimide and p-hydroxy N-phenylmaleimide using γ-radiation. The effects of both monomer concentration and dose on the percent of grafting were measured. Characterization of the grafted PE films by induced IR spectroscopy, thermal stability, X-ray diffraction, mechanical properties and surface morphology studied by SEM has been investigated. Moreover, the dyeing ability of the grafted PE films with methylene blue was investigated. The results show that the maleimides improve the thermal stability of the grafted PE films. Moreover, the grafted film with p-hydroxy N-phenylmaleimide demonstrated better dyeing ability than the unsubstituted one.