ABSTRACT
I. Introduction 231
II. Structure and Properties 231
III. Synthesis 234
IV. Orientation 249
V. Chlorination and Sulphochlorination 251
VI. Plasma Modification of PE 258
VII. Crosslinking of PE 261
VIII. Graft Modification 264
IX. Summary 268
Questions 269
References 269
I. Introduction Modification of polyethylene (PE) is an important technology because many useful products can be prepared from PE and modified PE. The low cost and the utility of modified PE products have made PE the leading commercial plastic worldwide. In the U. S. twice as much PE is produced per year as any other polymer [1,2]. This chapter presents the major techniques for synthesis and modification of PE.