New Routes to Hyperbranched Poly(acrylic acid) Surface Grafts on Polyethylene Films and Powders

Abstract

Hyperbranched grafting is a useful method for surface modification of both inorganic and organic polymer surfaces but is synthetically cumbersome as it requires synthesis of functional polymers as reagents. This paper describes an alternative approach using acrylic acid and Ce(IV) graft-on-a-graft chemistry. The substrates, polyethylene films and powders, were prepared for grafting by oxidation and incorporation of a low loading of a polyhydroxylated oligomer. In subsequent steps, the hydroxyl groups of this surface are successively grafted with Ce(IV) and acrylic acid. The resulting carboxylic acid groups were converted into yet more hydroxyl groups. Repetition of this process yields a hyperbranched graft. Copolymer grafts too can be prepared using appropriate mixtures of monomers.

Assembling hyperbranched polymerics

“…Bergbreiter and Tao102 have introduced new synthetic methods for modifying the carboxylic acid groups of hyperbranched surface films. Various procedures such as amidation, esterification, and alkylation reactions of carboxylic acid groups were used to generate functional surfaces 103, 104. The method is faster than the graft‐on‐graft technique and allows the production of graft copolymers with a suitable combination of monomers.…”

Synthesis of Block Copolymers Based on Polyethylene by Thermally Induced Controlled Radical Polymerization Using Mn2(CO)10

“…There has been tremendous effort in both academic and industrial community to overcome the problems associated with its relatively low compatibility and adhesion and also to develop new polymer materials by constructing polymer architectures based on polyethylene . However, due to its inert chemical structure, desired modifications can only be achieved by the incorporation of polar functionalities . Recently, Buchmeiser and Hillmyer reported a simple route to introduce reactive bromine functionalities into polyethylene by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of cyclic olefins followed by hydrobromination process.…”

Preparation and properties of hyperbranched poly(amine‐ester) films using acetal cross‐linking units

“…Concerning their synthesis efficiency, another important consideration concerns their cross‐linking (especially those in sticky states) into larger solid‐state matrices with certain functions. Until now, such investigations have been mainly focused on irradiation curing of double bonds in HBPs for coatings,27–32 modifying the surfaces of other polymers,33–40 and cross‐linking 41. Among these reports, hyperbranched poly(amine‐ester)s (HPAEs) based HBPs possess the most similar structures and properties to the widely investigated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers.…”