Grafting itaconic anhydride onto polyethylene using extrusion

Reactive extrusion was employed to graft itaconic anhydride (IA) onto polyethylene, using thermally induced peroxide decomposition. It was found that an increase in IA concentration lead to an increase in the degree of grafting (DOG), but only up to 6 wt % IA. Using di‐cumyl peroxide (DCP) as the initiator resulted in a higher DOG compared to di‐tert‐butyl peroxide (DTBP) and required less reaction time to achieve the same DOG. However, raising the IA concentration also resulted in an increase in cross‐linking. Increasing the initiator concentration from 0.2 to 2 wt % resulted in a higher DOG. However, 5 wt % initiator showed similar results compared to using 0.2 wt % due to termination by disproportionation, which has been shown to be more prevalent at high initiator concentrations. Degradation was clearly observed by the inability to form a continuous extrudate during extrusion as well as discolouration. A residence time of more than 50 seconds, using DCP and 120 s for DTBP didn't offer any further increase in the DOG and also resulted in more pronounced degradation. Optimizing grafting is therefore a trade‐off between maximal DOG and minimizing side reactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Free radical grafting of itaconic acid and glycidyl methacrylate onto PP initiated by organic peroxides

Comparative analysis was conducted to learn the grafting of itaconic acid (IA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto polypropylene (PP) in the course of reactive extrusion. Seven organic peroxides, which satisfactorily dissolve in PP, but do not dissolve in the monomer, were used to initiate free‐radical reactions. The grafting of IA and GMA onto PP initiated by certain peroxides gave approximately equal amounts of grafted product. It was learned that the nature of peroxide initiators is decisive for grafting efficiency and degree of macromolecular degradation. To ensure a high yield of grafted product, it is advisable to use peroxides, which have thermodynamic affinity with PP and the temperature range of decomposition of which corresponds to the thermal regime of reactive extrusion. Di(tert‐butyl peroxy‐isopropyl)‐benzene (P‐14) appeared to meet for the most these requirements for grafting both GMA and IA. Grafting is accompanied by β‐decomposition of the chains irrespective of the type of peroxide and monomer used; hence, the MFI increases. A considerable rise in MFI was observed at a minimum peroxide concentration (0.1wt %). Degradation of PP during modification eases its crystallization from the melt. In this case the crystallization temperature is 5 to 8.5°C higher than of the original PP, and the crystallinity degree increases by 20 to 60%. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 64–72, 2002     

Study of multi‐monomer melt‐grafting onto polypropylene in an extruder

Free‐radical melt‐grafting of the dual‐monomer systems glycidyl methacrylate–styrene (GMA‐St) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate–styrene (HEMA‐St) onto polypropylene (PP) has been studied using a single‐screw extruder. For single monomer grafting systems, degradation of PP was unavoidable and deterioration of the mechanical properties of the grafted PP subsequently occurred because of β‐scission of PP chains during the free‐radical melt‐grafting process. However, for the dual‐monomer systems, it is shown that the addition of styrene as a comonomer can significantly enhance the GMA or HEMA grafting levels on PP and reduce the extent of β‐scission of PP backbone. It has been found that the grafting degree of dual‐monomer melt‐grafted PP, such as PP‐g‐(GMA‐co‐St) or PP‐g‐(HEMA‐co‐St), is about quadruple that of single‐monomer grafted PP for the same monomer and dicumyl peroxide concentrations. Moreover, the melt flow rate of the dual‐monomer grafted PP is smaller than that of the unmodified PP. Hence, PP not only was endowed with higher polarity, but also kept its good mechanical properties. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Study of compatibilization of HDPE–PET blends by adding grafted or statistical copolymers

The reactive compatibilization of blends of HDPE–PET [high‐density polyethylene–poly(ethylene terephthalate)] was investigated in this study. The compatibilizers used were two grafted copolymers prepared by reactive extrusion containing 1.20–2.30 wt % GMA such as HDPE‐g‐GMA and one statistical copolymer containing 1 wt % GMA such as Lotader AX8920. HDPE was successfully functionalized using a melt free‐radical grafting technique. Grafting was initiated in two ways: adding an initiator in the polymer–monomer mixture or activation by ozone of polymer. Ozonization of HDPE by the introduction of a peroxide lead to a better grafting yield and to better grafting efficiency of the samples. The effects of the three compatibilizers were evaluated by studying the morphology and the thermal and mechanical properties of HDPE–PET (70/30 wt %) blends. Significant improvements were observed, especially in morphology, elongation at break, and Charpy impact strength of the compatibilized blends. A more pronounced compatibilizing effect was obtained with the statistical copolymer, for which the elongation at break and the impact strength were increased by 100%, while the uncompatibilized blends showed a 60% decrease in the Young's modulus and the strength at break. We also were able to show that the grafting yield increase of 1.20–2.30 wt % of GMA did not affect the properties of the blends because the grafted copolymers possess very similar chemical structures. However, compatibilization of blends with grafted copolymers is an interesting method, particularly for recycled blends, because the synthesis of these compatibilizers is easy and cheap in comparison to statistical copolymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2377–2386, 2001     

Grafted stock synthesis of ABS at the ultimate high ratio of polybutadiene to poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)

This study describes the emulsion grafting of styrene and acrylonitrile onto 60–70% polybutadiene (PB), in the presence or absence of tert‐dodecanetiol as a chain transfer reagent with a radical initiator, and the properties of the obtained grafted stock. There was no significant difference in terms of effect of the initiation mode on the grafting efficiency resulting from the high grafting reactivity of PB. However, the grafted stock with 70% PB prepared in the presence of tert‐dodecanetiol and the adequate selection of an initiation system gave a homogeneous dispersion of the PB particles into poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) matrix. The initiation system involves tert‐butyl peroxylaurate, tert‐butyl peroxyacetate, and tert‐butyl peroxyisopropylcarbonate coupled with ferrous sulfate. The efficient coverage of the SAN grafted layer around 70% PB particles was observed by TEM to eventually give excellent impact resistance, high surface gloss, and good thermal resistance. The absence of tert‐dodecanetiol resulted in a toughness reduction of ABS. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 3462–3470, 2001     

Radiation‐induced grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and radiation lamination of HDPE

Radiation‐induced grafting of glycidyl meth‐acrylate (GMA) onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and the radiation lamination of HDPE by bulk grafting of GMA were reported. The effects of irradiation dose, monomer concentration, and atmosphere on grafting were investigated. The extent of grafting initially increased with irradiation dose and then remained almost constant. The extent of grafting was higher in 2M GMA than in 1M GMA at the same irradiation dose. The extent of grafting in nitrogen was higher than that in air. The grafted samples were characterized with FTIR spectrometry and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. A carbonyl group was found on grafted HDPE samples, and the carbonyl index increased with the extent of grafting. TG analyses proved the existence of grafted materials on HDPE and the grafted GMA thermally decomposes at a temperature lower than that of HDPE. Strong adhesion could be obtained with radiation lamination of HDPE by bulk grafting of GMA. Benzophenone facilitates the grafting in a proper concentration range. The adhesion mechanism of the laminated samples was the entanglement of the grafted chains. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 772–779, 2005     

Free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto polypropylene in a co-rotating twin screw extruder

Free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto molten polypropylene (PP) was studied in a co-rotating twin screw extruder. Grafting yields of GMA obtained under various experimental conditions along the screw length allowed for a good appreciation of the effects of chemical parameters (the presence of styrene and the concentrations of peroxide and monomers) and those of processing parameters (feed rate, screw speed, and specific throughput). Similar to the results obtained in a batch mixer,¹ free radical grafting of GMA carried out in the extruder in the presence or absence of styrene proceeded rapidly, as it was virtually completed half-way down stream of the extruder. Additionally, the presence of styrene as a second monomer increased the GMA grafting yield reatly with reduced PP chain degradation. The ultimate GMA grafting yield increased with increasing concentration of peroxide, 1,3-bis(tert-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene. This similarity between the batch mixer and the extruder is related to the fact that in both cases it is the concentration of the peroxide and its half lifetime that determine the grafting rate and the ultimate grafting yield. On the othe hand, the GMA grafting yield decreased with increasing screw speed or feed rate. For a particular specific throughput (the ratio of throughput to screw speed), an increase in throughput with a concomitant increase in screw speed brought about a decrease in GMA grafting yield. It was concluded that the GMA grafting yield is affected primarily by the residence time in the zone in which free radicals are not depleted. The effects of screw speed, feed rate, and specific throughput manifest mainly through this local residence time distribution. Specific energy is not a good measure of the performance of the extruder with respect to the free radical rafting of GMA onto PP. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Melt free‐radical grafting of hindered phenol antioxidant onto polyethylene

A monomeric antioxidant (3) was prepared by reacting 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxybenzyl alcohol (1) with N‐[4‐(chlorocarbonyl) phenyl] maleimide (2). This reactive antioxidant was grafted onto polyethylene (PE) by melt processing with free‐radical initiators in a mini‐max molder. The IR spectra of the grafted PE showed that the monomeric antioxidant was introduced onto the PE. IR spectroscopic methods and titration were used for the quantitative determination of the extent of grafting of the monomeric antioxidant. Also, the extent of crosslinking was indicated by the gel content. Grafting occurred in the following order: dicumyl peroxide (DCP) > benzoyl peroxide > 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile. The influences of the DCP concentration and monomeric antioxidant on the extent of grafting were studied. The effects of the reaction time and temperature were also determined. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2968–2973, 2000     

Grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto high‐density polyethylene with reaction time in the batch mixer

The melt grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) in the presence of free radical initiators was investigated in the batch mixer. The graft content was determined with the titration and FTIR spectroscopy. The graft content increased with the increase of peroxide and initially introduced GMA concentration. Increase of the grafted GMA content resulted in decrease of the melt index. Interestingly, there was a sudden drop of GMA grafting content with the reaction time. It is assumed that depolymerization of GMA have taken place over the ceiling temperature. The crystallinity of the prepared glycidyl methacrylate grafted high density polyethylene (HDPE‐g‐GMA) was determined by the measurement of the heat of fusion. GMA grafted site acted as defect and crystallinity of the HDPE‐g‐GMA decreased with the increase of grafting reaction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Atom transfer radical polymerization grafting of highly functionalized polystyrene and poly(4‐methylstyrene) macroinitiators with tert‐butyl acrylate

Two monodisperse graft copolymers, poly(4‐methylstyrene)‐graft‐poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) [number‐average molecular weight (M_n) = 37,500, weight‐average molecular weight/number‐average molecular weight (M_w/M_n) = 1.12] and polystyrene‐graft‐poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) (M_n = 72,800, M_w/M_n = 1.12), were prepared by the atom transfer radical polymerization of tert‐butyl acrylate catalyzed with Cu(I) halides. As macroinitiators, poly{(4‐methylstyrene)‐co‐[(4‐bromomethyl)styrene]} and poly{styrene‐co‐[4‐(1‐(2‐bromopropionyloxy)ethyl)styrene]}, carrying 40% of the bromoalkyl functionalities along the chain, were used. The dependencies of molecular parameters on monomer conversion fulfilled the criteria for controlled polymerizations. In contrast, the dependencies of monomer conversion versus time were nonideal; possible causes were examined. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2930–2936, 2002     

Investigation of styrene‐assisted free‐radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto high‐density polyethylene using response surface method

In this study, the free‐radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) in the presence of styrene, as a comonomer, is investigated using a Brabender internal mixer. To optimize grafting level of GMA onto HDPE, response surface method (RSM) was exploited. Using RSM method of experimental design, it was possible to investigate the individual effects of various variables including dicumyl peroxide (DCP) concentration, GMA content, as well as reaction time, and their interactions on grafting efficiency. The fitted quadratic model obtained from statistical analysis is expressed by an approximating function to investigate the final torque as a responding variable over the experimental range of the independent variables. The grafting yield of GMA onto HDPE for the prepared samples was determined using titration/back‐titration technique and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). According to the torque–time diagrams, increasing the DCP content led to an increase in GMA grafting yield. Also, it was found that the reaction time imparts minor effect on the final processing torque, and there exists an interaction between DCP and GMA content. The results of melt flow index (MFI) test showed that increasing the reaction time at constant DCP and GMA content enhances the MFI values of the samples, due to the more probability of chain scission phenomenon. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Styrene‐assisted melt‐free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate onto isotactic poly(1‐butene)

The melt‐free radical grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto powered isotactic poly(1‐butene) (iPB‐1) using styrene (St) as a comonomer in a Haake mixer was studied. The effects of temperature, initial GMA, and peroxide concentration, as well as the addition of St comonomer, on the final grafting degree, grafting efficiency, and the melt flow rate of grafted polymer were studied. It was shown that the addition of St as a comonomer could significantly enhance the grafting degree of GMA on iPB‐1 and reduce the extent of degradation of iPB‐1 to some degree. It has been found that the grafting degree of dual‐monomer melt‐grafted iPB‐1 was about twice that of single‐monomer‐grafted iPB‐1 for the same monomer and peroxide concentrations. The grafting of GMA onto iPB‐1 remarkably accelerated the crystal form II → I transformation of iPB‐1. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis of functional polypropylene via solid‐phase grafting soft vinyl monomer and its mechanism

Solid‐phase grafting of a soft vinyl monomer, butyl methylacrylate (BMA), onto polypropylene (PP) matrixes with 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator was carried out to enhance the polarity of polymer. Soft vinyl monomer was a novel notion in grafting modification of PP. Effects of swell time, BMA concentration, AIBN concentration, grafting reaction time, and temperature on grafting percentage (G_p) and grafting efficiency (G_e) were examined. The optimal conditions of grafting reaction were obtained: swell time of 60 min, BMA concentration of 6 wt %, AIBN concentration of 0.05 wt %, reaction temperature of 85°C, and reaction time of 2 h. The grafting samples were investigated by such characterization techniques as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. FTIR results indicated that BMA was actually grafted onto PP backbone. TGA results showed that the decomposition temperature increases with addition of BMA into PP backbone. SEM results indicated that the surfaces of PP‐g‐BMA had a markedly bumpy texture, whereas the pure PP surface was very smooth. Water contact angle results showed that the polarity and hydrophilicity of PP were improved effectively. Compared with the traditional monomer MAH, G_p, and G_e, melt flow rate and mechanical property results all indicated that the soft vinyl monomer had a many advantages in the modification of PP. In the end, the mechanism of solid grafting was discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and application of MDPE‐g‐GMA as reactive compatibilizer in blends of MDPE/PET and MDPE/PA6

In the present study, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) grafted medium density polyethylene (MDPE‐g‐GMA) was synthesized in the molten state and applied as a reactive compatibilizer in MDPE/polyamid6 (PA6) and in MDPE/poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) blends. Graft copolymerization of GMA onto MDPE was performed in presence and absence of styrene, with different concentrations of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a radical initiator. In the presence of styrene, the MDPE‐g‐GMA with 6% GMA was obtained by addition of only 0.1 phr of DCP. Furthermore, the maximum grafting was reached when 0.6 and 0.7 phr concentration of DCP for styrene containing and styrene free samples were used, respectively. Torque‐time measurement showed faster grafting reaction rate in the presence of styrene. Four MDPE‐g‐GMA samples were selected as compatibilizers in the blends. Furthermore, the effects of melt flow index and grafting content of compatibilizers on mechanical properties and morphology of the blends were investigated through tensile tests and SEM analysis. Tensile test results indicated that the presence of compatibilizers in the blends led to 250 and 133% increase in elongation at break for PA6 and PET blends, respectively. Moreover, the best tensile results for blends were obtained using MDPE‐g‐GMA with high flow ability. The average particle size of the dispersed phase decreased by 350% for PA6 and 300% for PET blends compared with nonreactive blends. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

PP/LDPE blends produced by reactive processing. I. Grafting efficiency and rheological and high‐elastic properties of [PP/LDPE]‐g‐IA melts

Itaconic acid (IA) was grafted onto polypropylene/low‐density polyethylene (PP/LDPE) blends. The ratio of polymeric components was varied from 100 : 0 to 0 : 100. The effect of the variation in the ratios of the components on grafting efficiency and concomitant side processes was studied. Grafting of IA (1 wt %) was initiated by 2,5‐dimethyl‐2,5‐di(tert‐butyl peroxy)‐hexane (0.3 wt %) and was carried out in an extruder reactor equipped with a dynamic mixer. An increase in the PP content of the blend led to a lower yield of the grafted product. With low concentrations of LDPE in the blend (up to 25 wt %), grafting efficiency was observed to increase, and this increase was greater in comparison with the additive rule. Between 25 and 99 wt % of LDPE in the blend, grafting efficiency rose monotonically with LDPE concentration. At or below an LDPE content of 25 wt %, the melt flow index (MFI) of [PP/LDPE]‐g‐IA would increase unlike with PP‐g‐IA systems. But a small quantity of PP (below 25 wt %) in the [PP/LDPE]‐g‐IA blends would result in a decreased MFI unlike with LDPE‐g‐IA. The dependence of swell index and melt strength on the ratio of polymeric components in [PP/LDPE]‐g‐IA blends also was investigated. ©2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5095–5104, 2006     

Maleation of polylactide (PLA) by reactive extrusion

Free‐radical‐initiated grafting of maleic anhydride (MA) onto a polylactide (PLA) backbone was performed by reactive extrusion. A concentration of 2 wt % MA in the presence of 2,5‐dimethyl‐2,5‐di‐(tert‐butylperoxy)hexane (Lupersol 101) as the free‐radical initiator was used for all experiments. Two reaction temperatures were studied (180 and 200°C) with a peroxide initiator concentration between 0.0 and 0.5 wt %. Under these conditions, between 0.066 and 0.672 wt % MA was grafted onto the PLA chains. Triple‐detector size‐exclusion chromatography (TriSEC), melt flow index (MFI), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the maleated PLA polymers. Increasing the initiator concentration resulted in an increase in the grafting of MA, as well as a decrease in the molecular weight of the polymer. The maleation of PLA proved to be very efficient in promoting strong interfacial adhesion with corn native starch in composites as obtained by melt blending. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 477–485, 1999     

Functionalization of polyolefins and elastomers with an oxazoline compound

The aim of this work was to graft ricinoloxazoline maleinate (OXA) onto polyethylene (PE), and onto an ethylene propylene copolymer (E/P) and styrene ethylene/butylene styrene copolymer (SEBS), by melt free radical grafting in a twin‐screw midiextruder. A study was made of the effects of the initial monomer and peroxide concentrations and of temperature on the degree of grafting, on the amount of residual monomer, and on the molecular weight. The initial monomer and peroxide concentrations were 1.5–9.0 wt % and 0.15–0.90 wt %, respectively. The grafting yield was found to increase with the initial monomer and peroxide concentrations. Grafting yields up to 2.1 wt % for PE, 2.3 wt % for E/P and 2.7 wt % for SEBS were achieved. The degree of grafting also varied considerably with the temperature. E/P and SEBS decomposed with low initial monomer and peroxide concentrations, but crosslinked with raising the initial concentrations. Polyethylene crosslinked even with low initial concentrations, but with a suitable choice of peroxide grafted polyethylene could be produced with good grafting yields and without gel formation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 877–885, 1999     

Effects of the molecular structure of impact modifier and compatibilizer on the toughening of PBT/SBS/PS‐GMA blends

This work aims at studying the toughening process of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) through its blends with styrene‐butadiene‐styrene block copolymers (SBS), in the presence of poly(styrene‐ran‐glicydil methacrylate) (PS‐GMA) as reactive compatibilizer. High values of impact strength were attained for PBT/SBS blends without the compatibilizer; however, this improvement is achieved for blends with SBS having similar viscosity compared to PBT, at high SBS content (40 wt %) and for blends prepared under specific processing conditions. The efficiency of the in situ compatibilization of PBT/SBS blends by PS‐GMA was found to be strongly dependent on the SBS and PS‐GMA molecular characteristics. Better compatibilizing results were observed through fine phase morphologies and lower ductile to brittle transition temperatures (DBTT) as the interfacial interaction and stability of the in situ formed compatibilizer are maximized, that is, when the miscibility between SBS and PS‐GMA and reaction degree between PBT and PS‐GMA are maximized. For the PBT/SBS/PS‐GMA blends under study, this was found when it is used the SBS with higher polystyrene content (38 wt %) and with longer PS blocks (M_w = 20,000 g mol^?1) and also the PS‐GMA with moderate GMA contents (4 wt %) and with molecular weight similar to the critical one for PS entanglements (M_c = 35,000 g mol^?1). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5795–5807, 2006     

Glycidyl methacrylate–grafted linear low‐density polyethylene fabrication and application for polyester/polyethylene bonding

The grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) was investigated. The grafting was performed by free‐radical grafting in the melt state in a twin‐screw extruder using an organic peroxide as initiator. The effect of initial GMA and peroxide concentration, styrene comonomer addition, as well as initial resin viscosity, on the final content in grafted moieties, unbound homopolymer, and unreacted monomer was assessed. The effect of process parameters such as flow rate, screw rotation speed, and barrel temperature was also investigated. Chemical composition was shown to be the main parameter for controlling grafting level and grafting efficiency. Grafting levels up to 1.8% and efficiency of 90% were reported even though in most conditions, the graft efficiency was severely decreased by the homopolymerization of GMA into polyGMA chains not bound to LLDPE. Finally, the effect of grafting level and the presence of unbound GMA‐based species on the efficiency GMA‐grafted LLDPE as adhesive between polyethylene and polyester were discussed. Good adhesion to poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer was found for low viscosity grafted polyethylene resins. A significant improvement in adhesive strength on polyester was observed when the molecular weight of the grafted LLDPE was increased. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 3180–3191, 2004     

Surface functionalization of Si3N4 nanoparticles by graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate and styrene

To improve dispersibility and interfacial interaction of nano‐Si₃N₄ particles in epoxy‐based composites, graft of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and styrene (St)/GMA onto the nanoparticles' surface was carried out in terms of emulsion polymerization method. The grafting polymers proved to be chemically attached to the nanoparticles via the double bonds introduced during the coupling agent pretreatment. The factors affecting the graft parameters, such as monomer concentration, initiator consumption, reaction time, etc., were investigated. It was shown that higher concentrations of monomer and initiator are favorable for the graft polymerization. When St/GMA was employed as the grafting monomer, the nanoparticles were found to play the role of polymerization loci. The grafted nanoparticles exhibit greatly improved dispersibility in cured epoxy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 992–999, 2006