Patent ID: 7202309

Claim:
A process for producing a silane-crosslinked thermoplastic polyolefin comprising: a. providing a mixture of: (i) at least one silane possessing an unsaturated organic function; (ii) at least two free radical initiators, the first initiator having a first 0.1 hour half-life temperature and the second initiator having a second 0.1 hour half-life temperature being between 30° and 90° C. higher than said first half-life temperature; (iii) at least one thermoplastic polyolefin wherein the thermoplastic polyolefin is at least one polyolefin selected from the group consisting of high-pressure low-density polyethylene, medium/low-pressure high-density polyethylene, low-pressure low-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, an ethylene-α-olefin copolymer, polypropylene, an ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, an ethylene-propylene copolymer, an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer, an ethylene-butene copolymer, polymethyl-pentene-1, polybutene, chlorinated polyethylene, an ethylene-vinyl acetate-chlorine terpolymer, and mixtures thereof; and, b. reacting the mixture of step (a) under reactive mechanical-working conditions and exposure to moisture to provide crosslinked polyolefin.