One step graft copolymerization of acrylic acid and sodium styrene sulfonate onto high-density polyethylene film by preirradiation method

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) films were irradiated by 60Co gamma ray with a dose of 100 kGy in air and then immersed in aqueous solution of acrylic acid (AA) and sodium styrene sulfonate (SSS) at different temperature. The effects of grafting conditions such as temperature, reaction time, Mohr’s salt concentration, and total concentration of monomer on grafting yield were studied. Both grafting yield of AA and SSS onto HDPE respectively increases with total concentration of monomers. The highest grafting yield was observed at 3 mol/L monomers where the grafted PE swelled to the largest extent in the monomers mixture. The grafting yield increases with reaction time and then levels off. At higher temperature, the grafting yield decreases with Mohr’s salt concentration, but increases at low temperature when Mohr’s salt concentration is 0.083%. Which can be interpreted that in the presence of Fe2+ diperoxides and hydroperoxides may decompose at low temperature to form radical which can initiate the grafting. The physical and chemical properties of grafting films were also investigated.