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SUMMARYPolyethylene (PE, 100 parts by weight) was mixed with methyl methacrylate (MMA, up to 5 parts by weight) at 120°C and subsequently exposed to electron radiation of different doses (up to 20 Mrad) to prepare PE/MMA graft copolymers. Successful grafting was verified by IR spectroscopy. Gel formation indicated crosslinking. Grafting increased with increasing MMA concentration and increasing irradiation dose. Crystalline melting temperature and percent crystallinity were lower than those of untreated PE. Tensile strength, elongation at break and dielectric constant of grafted samples were measured and discussed. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG:Polyethylen (PE, 100 Gew.-Teile) wurde mit Methylmethacrylat (MMA, bis zu 5 Gew.-Teilen) gemischt und anschlieljend mit Elektronen (bis zu 20 Mrad) bestrahlt, um PE/MMA-Pfropfcopolymere herzustellen, deren Bildung mittels IR-Spektroskopie nachgewiesen wurde. Gelbildung wies auf eine Vernetzung wahrend der Bestrahlung hin. Zunehmende MMA-Konzentration und hohere Bestrahlungsdosen verringerten die Kristallit-Schmelztemperatur und den Kristallisationsgrad des PE. Zugfestigkeit, Bruchdehnung und Dielektrizitatskonstante wurden gemessen und diskutiert.

Waste polyethylene (WPE) was segregated from the municipality solid waste, cleaned, dried, and chopped into pieces, then processed in a Brabender Plasticorder using the melt mixing technique. Blends of WPE and virgin polyethylene were prepared in various proportions under optimized process conditions. Of the various blend proportions studied, 70/30 blend of WPE/low density polyethylene (LDPE) and 50/50 blend of WPE/high density polyethylene showed better mechanical properties and hence selected for further modification involving electron beam irradiation. Aforementioned blends were exposed to various doses of electron beam irradiation and the effect of irradiation on physicomechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural modulus, hardness, and impact resistance were studied. Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction studies, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and gel content were considered to characterize the blends. Physicomechanical properties improved to an appreciable extent on irradiation but the elongation at break reduced drastically. Blow molding of the 70/30 WPE/LDPE blend could be done successfully to make bottles.