Photoinduced graft polymerization of styrene onto polypropylene substrates

The photochemical grafting of styrene onto polypropylene (PP) using benzophenone (BP) and benzoin ethyl ether (BEE) as photosensitizers is described. The effects of various parameters (such as monomer and photosensitizer concentration, reaction time, and solvent) on percent grafting were studied. We found that BP is a very efficient photosensitizer for the grafting of styrene onto PP surfaces. Unlike BEE, BP does not initiate nongrafting homopolymerization reactions in solution which compete with grafting reactions. This is advantageous over other photosensitizers since homopolymer formed in solution can interfere with the grafting reaction as well complicate sample preparation and purification. The graft copolymers obtained using both BP and BEE were characterized by high resolution ¹H-NMR, optical microscopy and swelling studies. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 64: 883–889, 1997