Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Polyfunctional monomers such as allyl methacrylate, allyl acrylate, and diallyl maleate have been found to greatly enhance the radiation crosslinking of polyethylene. The radiation dose for incipient gelation is decreased by a factor of approximately 25 by the presence of small amounts of these monomers. The ultimate scission/crosslinking ratio is unchanged by the presence of these monomers and the swelling behavior of the gels follows the Flory‐Rehner equation. The monomer‐crosslinking process is compared to the monomer‐free process as regards the physical properties (tensile strength, elongation, modulus) of the crosslinked materials. A mechanism is presented for the enhancement of polyethylene crosslinking by polyfunctional monomers.</jats:p>