Modification of polyolefin surfaces with iron cluster oxidants

Modification of polyethylene and polypropylene film and powder surfaces with oxygen and hydrogen peroxide is promoted by nonporphyrinic, nonfree radical based iron reagents such as Fe₃O(OCOCH₃)₆(C₆H₅N)_3.5 and FeCl₃ ? 6H₂O/picolinic acid. These oxidation systems introduced small amounts of carbonyl groups onto the surface of these hydrocarbon polymers. The most visible manifestation of this reaction was increased polyolefin wettability toward water. IR spectroscopy, XPS spectroscopy, and chemical derivatization all were used to verify that the reaction had occurred and that a chemically derivatizable surface had been prepared. The overall process produced a fraction of the density of functional groups introduced by conventional etching chemistry.