Grafting of PEG400 onto the surface of LLDPE/SMA film

Abstract

Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) was melt and blended with styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA). The blending films were then immersed in poly(ethylene glycol)400 (PEG400) at room temperature. The surface composition of the blend films was determined by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy coupled with a variable incidence angle attenuated total reflection accessory (ATR-FTIR). Results show that PEG400 can be grafted onto the surface of the films via esterification with SMA. The immersion of PEG promotes the enrichment of SMA onto the surface of the films. The water contact angle data show that grafting of PEG400 onto PE can greatly improve the hydrophilicity of the PE surface. These experiments show that surface functionalization of polyethylene films by blending SMA and then surface grafting of PEG is feasible, which suggest an effective and simple route for PE surface modification via blending and grafting.