Polyolefin Silane method

The route via silanes is suitable for crosslinking of both the cabks and pipes. It is becoming more and more preferred also in crosslinking of other products. Besides technological benefits, the silane method of crosslinking enables one to conduct crosslinking with such polyolefins where a network structure is difficult or even im-po ble to form with a radical mechanism. 

However, the simple melt mixing of polyolefins with natural clays, does not guarantee a sufficient level of dispersion of the nanoparticles, which are often present in the form of micron-size agglomerates. In order to overcome this problem, two main strategies have been followed surface functionalization of needle-like clays (usually by alkyl-silanes) or addition of a third polymeric phase (usually maleic anhydrite modified PP PP-g-MA), which acts as a compatibilizer between the matrix and nanofiller. Both methods tend to modify the surface energies of the nanocomposite system, in order to reduce the interparticle interaction and improve the dispersion. In the case of a reactive surface treatment only, the polymer-day interaction is expected to be enhanced, along with better nanoclay dispersion, which is very important for the final mechanical properties. 

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