LONG CHAIN BRANCHING OF POLYPROPYLENE VIA UV RADIATION: EFFECT OF COAGENT AND OTHER RADIATION VARIABLES ON CONTINUOUS MODIFICATION

摘要

Continuous photomodification of polypropylene (PP) has been conducted in order to scale up a previously developed batch process for commercialization purposes. Utilizing this process PP rheological properties were modified by incorporation of long chain branches (LCBs). Trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) was employed as a coagent along with benzophenone (BPH), which was the photoinitiator. The effects of TMPTA presence, BPH concentration, and radiation duration on viscoelastic properties and gel content were studied. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to confirm formation of LCBs in the photomodified PP.