Description
| Abstract: | Surface modified polyolefins were prepared and studied. Both surface sulfonated and surface carboxylated materials were used to study the functional group dynamics upon thermal heating and microwave irradiation. The results showed that sulfonated materials' wetting properties were enhanced by the above mentioned physical processes. The same treatment produced wetting decrease for carboxylated films. The extent of these wetting changes could be controlled by adjusting the time or temperature for the thermal treatment or the time and microwave intensity for the electromagnetic process. It was shown using XPS spectroscopy and "reactive dyeing" UV-vis spectroscopic technique that while the sulfonated polymer became more hydrophilic the absolute number of the functional groups (-SO3H) present in the interfacial region decreased. Further surface derivatization using straight chain amines (NH3R) was also accomplished and its influence on wetting properties of sulfonated medium density polyethylene (MDPE-SO3H) was studied. Microwave irradiation was found to be useful not only as a method of physical treatment of the surface functionalized polyolefins but also in inducing chemical reactions on the surfaces of such materials. Microwave induced ester formation on the surface of carboxylated polyethylene was confirmed with the ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and contact angle goniometry. |
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| Item Description: | Vita.
"Major subject: Chemistry." |
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| Physical Description: | xi, 138 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
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| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |
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