| abstract |
A process for the co-extrusion of an inner layer around a conductive medium and an outer layer around the inner layer comprising:n (i) introducing into an extruder adapted for profile co-extrusion, a conductive medium; an inner layer formulation comprising a homogeneous polyethylene having a polydispersity in the range of about 1.5 to about 3.5 and an essentially uniform comonomer distribution, and an organic peroxide; and an outer layer formulation comprising (a) a copolymer of ethylene and an unsaturated ester; (b) a polyethylene having a polydispersity greater than about 4.0 and a density of at least 0.916 gram per cubic centimeter, said polymer made by a high pressure process; or (c) a heterogeneous copolymer of ethylene and one or more alpha-olefins having a density of less than 0.916 gram per cubic centimeter, a melt index of at least about 4 grams per 10 minutes, and a polydispersity greater than about 4.0, and, optionally, an organic peroxide; and (ii) co-extruding said formulations at a temperature no higher than about 160 degrees C. |