Radiation-Induced Grafting of Binary Monomer (Acrylic Acid/2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) onto LDPE and PP Films

Abstract Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) films were grafted with an acrylic acid/2 hydroxyethyl methacrylate (AAc/HEMA) mixture under nitrogen atmosphere using a 60Co gamma source. Some parameters affecting the grafting percentage of this binary mixture have been studied. These parameters include effect of: inhibitor concentration, type of inhibitor, monomer concentrations, monomer composition, and type of solvent. The grafted films were characterized by water uptake, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle 8, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and spectroscopic analysis. 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate was found to be more reactive than acrylic acid towards graft copolymerization.