Surface modification of poly(propylene) by photoinitiators: Improvement of adhesion and wettability

Abstract Different benzophenone‐type photoinitiators were photografted onto poly(propylene) (PP). The polymer surfaces were analyzed by means of contact angle measurements, UV spectroscopy, and FTIR‐ATR. The modified samples showed a better wettability and higher surface energies, increasing from 26 mN/m for pure PP to 36 mN/m for the modified samples. The UV spectrum of the modified PP films showed two absorption bands that could be related to the grafted initiator. The effect of irradiation time and photoinitiator concentration was investigated. Different acrylates were grafted efficiently onto the modified polymer surfaces. FTIR‐ATR and contact angle measurements confirmed the presence of the grafted chains. The surface energy of the grafted surfaces of samples increased to 70 mN/m, depending on the type of acrylate used. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 2341–2350, 2004