Patent ID: 6844389

Claim:
An ethylene polymer composite having improved melt strength comprising: (a) 76 to 99.25 weight percent, based on the weight of the total composition, of an ethylene homopolymer or ethylene-C 3-8 α-olefin copolymer base resin; (b) 0.5 to 12 weight percent of an organically modified clay consisting of a smectite clay that has been ion-exchanged and intercalated with a dimethyl dihydrogenated allow quaternary ammonium ion; and (c) 0.25 to 12 weight percent of an ethylene polymer compatibilizing agent selected from the group consisting of ethylene-vinyl carboxylate copolymers and polymers of ethylene having from 0.1 to 8 weight percent ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivative monomer copolymerized or grafted; the weight ratio of (b) to (c) ranging from 1:5 to 1:0.1.