Polymeric Materials Modified By Silanes

A process for modifying a polymeric material having a carbon backbone containing carbon-to-carbon unsaturation by reaction with a hydrolysable silane, characterised in that the hydrolysable silane is selected from a silane of the formula (1)

• wherein each R represents a hydrolysable group;
• each R″ represents a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• n=1 to 3;
• Y represents a divalent organic spacer linkage having 1 to 20 carbon atoms;
• X represents —O— or —NH—;
• m=0 or 1;
• R2 represents hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• Z represents an oxygen or sulphur atom;
• R3 represents a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms;
• and R1 represents a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms other than a group of the formula R3—Z—CH(R2)— as defined above or a silane of formula (2) G-OC(O)-(Az)-J wherein G and J each represent a hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 40 carbon atoms, at least one of G and J being a group of the formula RaR″3-aSi-A in which R represents a hydrolysable group;
• R″ represents a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms;
• a has a value in the range 1 to 3 inclusive;
• Az represents an aziridine ring bonded to the group J through its nitrogen atom;
• and A represents a divalent organic spacer linkage having at least one carbon atom or a mixture thereof.