Crosslinking of high-density polyethylene in the presence of organic peroxides

The crosslinking efficiency of various commercially available organic peroxides (dicumyl peroxide, O,O-t-butyl O-2-ethylhexylperoxycarbonate, t-butyl peroxybenzoate, t-butyl 3,5,5-trimethylperoxyhexanoate, and t-butyl 2-ethylperoxyhexanoate) was tested on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in its molten state. The variations of the concentrations of the peroxides versus the crosslinking extent were plotted for these peroxides, and the values were compared. Dicumyl peroxide was found to be the best crosslinking agent for HDPE. The efficiency of the HDPE crosslinking with each peroxy derivative was analyzed on the basis of the behavior of the radicals generated from it. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.