Surface photografting polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc), maleic anhydride (MAH), and their charge transfer complex (CTC). III. VAc(3)

Vinyl acetate (VAc) was grafted onto low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) substrates by UV irradiation with benzophenone (BP) as the photoinitiator. BP preabsorbed film samples and BP precoated film samples were prepared in advance and applied as the substrates onto which VAc was photografted, together with the method in which BP was dissolved in VAc directly. In addition, the efficiency of the polymerizations applying the preirradiation technology was examined. The conversion percent, grafting percent, and grafting efficiency were determined by a gravimetric method. The contact angles of the grafted films against water were also measured. The results show that BP preabsorbing and precoating were favorable to grafting polymerization, especially the BP precoating method, which was due to its simple operation and the ease of controlling the amount of BP. The diffusion of BP and VAc through the substrates proved to be an important factor for grafting polymerization. Through UV irradiation, dormant groups can be introduced onto LDPE film, which may be activated again by UV irradiation or by heating, leading to the formation of free radicals. Grafting polymerization can be initiated during the activation process in the presence of monomer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 80: 1426–1433, 2001