| Abstract: | A detailed kinetic study of the γ-ray-induced surface grafting of methyl acrylate (MA) onto polyethylene (PE) has been investigated by using quartz helix microbalances. Under typical graft conditions, the grafting rate increases, levels off, and then accelerates with irradiation time; i.e., the typical growth process of the surface grafting consists of an initial stage having an increasing rate of grafting, an intermediate stage having a constant rate, and an advanced stage having an accelerated rate. A homopolymer layer (consisting only of an MA component) begins to be formed on the inner graft copolymer layer (consisting both of MA and PE components) at the transition zone in grafting rate after a duration of a constant rate of grafting. Therefore, the increasing rate in increasing rate in the intial stage of grafting reflects the graft copolymerization in the graft copolymer layer (inside the PE sheet), and the increasing rate in the advanced stage reflects the growth of the homopolymer layer. Under grafting reflects the graft tage reflects the growth of the homopolymer layer. Under grafting conditions by which the homolymer layer is not formed throughout the whole grafting process, the surface grafting remains remains in the initial stage. On the order hand, under grafting conditions by which the homopolymer layer begins to be formed from an early stage of grafting, the surface grafting proceeds rapidly from the initial stage to the advanced stage and thus skips the intermediate stage. |
