Stability of polymeric peracid derived from acrylic-acid-grafted polyethylene and hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

The stability of polymeric peroxides with peracid structure, which were prepared by reacting acrylic-acid(AA)-grafted polyethylene film (thickness = 30 μm) with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of methanesulfonic acid, has been investigated in terms of the location of the AA-grafted chains and the introduction of a temperature-sensitive component into the grafted chains. AA-grafted films with different location of the grafted chains were prepared by vapor- and liquid-phase photografting. The peroxides on the grafted film with a homogeneous distribution of the grafted chains exhibited a higher stability at 20 and 40°C than on that with grafted chains localized on the film surface. Liquid-phase photografting of an AA/N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer mixture was carried out to introduce a temperature-sensitive component in the AA-grafted chains. The peroxides on the resultant AA/NIPAAm(1/1)-grafted film showed a higher stability at 40°C than on the AA-grafted film since the AA/NIPAAm-grafted chains shrank at the temperature to stabilize the peroxides. Thus, the introduction of the temperature-sensitive component, NIPAAm, into the AA-grafted chains was useful for improving the stability of peroxides on the grafted film.