Cellulose‐induced crosslinking of polyethylene

Cellulose-Induced Crosslinking of PolyethylenePolymeric composites containing wood pulp fibers have recently attracted considerable attention due to their low cost and excellent mechanical properties.192However, commodity thermoplastic matrixes, such as polyethylene, are incompatible with cellulose, a factor leading to inadequate property retention when the composites are ex@ to hostile conditions like high humidity or subfreezing temperatures.Therefore, surface pretreatment of the cellulosic fibers or the incorporation of additives have become widely used methods to modify the weak interface.Silane coupling agent modification of fibers3 and the us" of surface modifiers such as maleated waxes4 are examples of these methods.An alternate route to improving the mechanical properties of polyolefins is to crosslink these using thermolabile peroxides.At concentrations in the range of 1 wt %, agents such as benzoyl peroxide have been reported5 as effective in crosslinking polyethylenes.Benzoyl peroxide has also been used in composite systems; it has been shown to increase the tensile properties of polypropylene/wood flour composites,6 and elsewhere7** to promote grafting onto cellulose.The mechanisms whereby peroxides affect composite properties are not well understood, motivating current research in our laboratories.The present brief report is a result of that continuing study.