Preparation and Characterization of Grafted Maleic Anhydride onto Polypropylene by Reactive Extrusion

Maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene has been widely used to improve the interfacial interaction between the components in PP/polar polymer blends and PP/filler composites and to maximize the physical properties and thermal properties. In this paper. the maleic anhydride (MAH)-grafted polypropylene (co-PP) was fabricated through reactive extrusion process with di-cumyl peroxide (DCP) as an initiator. The grafting degree of MAH depending on the contents of DCP and MAH was investigated by FT-IR spectra and chemical titration. The grafting degree increased with increasing MAH concentration and also showed maximum value at 0.06 wt% of DCP concentration. Melt flow index (MFI) of the grafted copolymer was increased with increasing the contents of MAH. The DSC and TGA analysis data indicate the melting temperature and thermal degradation of PP depending on the grafting degree of MAH.