The radiation-induced graft polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone onto low-density polyethylene films was conducted with gamma radiation by a simultaneous technique. The grafted copolymer was modified with cinnamonitrile or benzylidene malononitrile. The modified and grafted films were amidoximated with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in a basic medium. However, during amidoximation, the benzylidene malononitrile was cyclized to yield isoxazole ring through an addition to the nitrile group in its structure, whereas the nitrile groups of cinnamonitrile were converted into arnidoxime groups. The swelling behavior of the grafted copolymers and copolymers grafted and modified either with cinnamonitrile or benzylidene malononitrile was studied. Amidoximated and grafted films and copolymer-metal complexes of Cu(II) were prepared and characterized. The effect of the isoxazole ring on polymeric materials was also investigated. These films were characterized with different analysis techniques, such as infrared, ultraviolet (UV), elemental analysis, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and electron spin resonance (ESR). The UV and ESR analyses revealed that the geometric Structure of Cu(II) was square-planar. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the grafted and modified films to determine the changes in the surface morphology. Morphological changes clearly appeared for both complexed and isoxazole films because of the increase in their crystallinity. The thermal stability of different films was investigated with thermogravimetric analysis. The improvement of the copolymer by modification with cinnamonitrile derivatives showed great promise for some practical applications, such as metal recovery by complexation or the use of isoxazole in medicine. (C) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.