Acid–base and surface energy characterization of grafted polyethylene using inverse gas chromatography

For a specific design of interfaces, i.e. in composites and blends, it is essential to know the surface thermodynamics of the components. Polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride and maleic anhydride–styrene mixtures, respectively, was the component of interest of our investigations. Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution was shown to be an appropriate method to evaluate the dispersive and acid–base surface characteristics although there is an influence of bulk absorption and morphology when performing IGC above the glass transition temperature of the polymer.