An Investigation Into Surface Modificatin Of Polyethylene Film By Ozonation

The aim of this study was to investigate the hydrophilic modifications of the polymer films by ozonation. In this study, the polymer films (LD+LLDPE) were ozonated in gas phase and in aqueous phase, respectively. The surfaces of the polymer films were investigated in terms of peroxide generation, contact angle measurement, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and tensile strength measurements. 

Experimental results indicated that the amount of peroxide groups generated increased with ozonation time and applied ozone dose. It was also observed that the efficiency of ozonation was similar for gas phase ozonation, and aqueous ozonation. Catalyst screening revealed that Fe (III) and Cu (II) were both effective in accelerating peroxide generation. 

The hydrophilicity improvement of the film after ozonation was confirmed by contact angle measurements and Fourier transform infrared measurements. The LD+LLDPE films kept good tensile strength after ozonation. Even after 120 min ozonation at 1.0 wt% applied ozone dose, 85% of the tensile strength still remained. 

The application of catalyst to modify polymer film is the first of its kind. In this study, the approach proved to be successful for LD+LLDPE films.