Graft copolymerization of maleic anhydride/styrene onto isotactic polypropylene using supercritical CO2

The free‐radical grafting of maleic anhydride (MAH) and styrene (St) onto isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was studied by thermal decomposition of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) using supercritical CO₂ as a solvent and swelling agent. Several effects of molar ratio of monomer, soaking temperature and time, reaction time, and reaction pressure on the graft degree were discussed. It was found that the addition of St to the grafting system as a comonomer could significantly enhance the graft degree of the grafted PP. Under the optimal reaction condition, the maximum of iPP grafting MAH and St in supercritical CO₂ medium was 10.58%. The chemical structures and properties of grafting copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the supercritical CO₂ method had noticeable advantages over the existed method when compared, such as a lower temperature, a higher graft degree, easy separation, and environmentally benign. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.