The Reactivity of Carboxylic Acid and Ester Groups in the Functionalized Interfacial Region of 'Polyethylene Carboxylic Acid' (PE-CO2H) and Derivatives: Differentiation of the Functional Groups into Shallow and Deep Subsets Based on a Comparison of Contact Angle and ATR-IR Measurements

The carboxylic acid groups present in the functionalized interface of polyethylene carboxylic acid PE-CO2H, a material prepared from low-density polyethylene film have been differentiated by reaction with aqueous chromic acid into two subsets those sufficiently close to the surface of the polymer to influence its wettability by water and those too deep to do so. This differentiation was accomplished by taking advantage of differences in rates of esterification of carboxylic acid groups in different regions of the functionalized interface, and of differences in rates of hydrolysis of ester groups derived from them. The subset of functional groups influencing wettability comprises 30 of the total groups present in the functionalized interface and appears to be homogeneous in its chemical reactivity. The remaining groups approx. 70 of the total do not directly influence wettability and appear to become less reactive with increasing depth in the polymer. The surface and subsurface carboxylic acid and ester moieties are both less reactive in hydrolysis and formation reactions than are these groups in organic molecules in solution. Reactivities of the interfacial functional groups depend on structure in ways having no analogy in reactions in solution.