Oxidation of polypropylene homopolymer in the molten state in presence of air

The oxidation of polypropylene (PP) homopolymer in air was performed using dodecanol-1 as an accelerator. The experiments were conducted under atmospheric pressure at 180-220 degrees C. Spectroscopic data indicated the formation of polar groups such as ketones, esters, alcohols, anhydrides etc. as determined by FTIR and ESCA. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the variations of morphology of the oxidation products. The fusion temperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The variations of solubility of PPO as compared with the original PP were investigated in solvents such as MEK, THF, and toluene. Surface tension and molecular weights were determined by tensiometry and gel premeation chromatography (GPC), The melt flow index (MFI) of different samples were determined.