Graft copolymers of polyolefins and a method of producing same
AssigneeHimont Incorporated
InventorsPaolo Galli, Anthony J. DeNicola, Jr., Jeanine A. Smith
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Abstract
Disclosed are graft copolymers of polyolefins and a method of preparing said graft copolymers. The method comprises irradiating a mass of olefin polymer particles and thereafter treating the mass of particles with a vinyl monomer in liquid form. A nonoxidizing environment is maintained throughout the process while free radicals produced in the olefin polymer by the irradiation are present, thereby preventing degradation of the polymer. In a final step, residual free radicals are deactivated, and any unreacted monomer is removed.
Claims20
A grafted copolymer material comprising a particulate olefin polymer material having a uniform distribution of graft polymerized vinyl monomer throughout the particulate formed by the free radical-initiated graft polymerization in a substantially non-oxidizing environment of 5 to 80 percent by weight of at least one vinyl monomer at the free radical sites on an as-polymerized particulate olefin polymer material which as-polymerized particulate material has (a) a pore volume fraction of at least about 0.07 wherein more than 40% of the pores have a diameter larger than 1 micron;
- (b) a surface area of at least 0.1 m.sup.2 /g;
- and (c) a weight average diameter in the range of about from 0.4 to 7 mm, and wherein the vinyl monomer is (i) neat or (ii) in combination with a diluent or a solvent compound, which compound is selected from the group consisting of ketones, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons and cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons, and which, if present, is inert with respect to the as-polymerized particulate olefin polymer material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.