An improvement on water absorbing and permeating properties: Heparin immobilizing on acrylic acid‐grafted and collagen/chitosan‐immobilized wound dressing

Various concentrations of heparin were employed in this study to immobilize on the acrylic acid‐grafted and collagen/chitosan‐immobilized polypropylene (PP‐AAg‐CCi) nonwoven fabric to improve the water absorbing and permeating properties. The immobilized heparin was verified by analyzing of the spectra of surface reflection infrared spectroscopy. It was found that the values of water absorbing and water diffusion coefficient for the PP‐AAg‐CCi sample immobilized with heparin (PP‐AAg‐CCHi) were significantly higher than those for the PP‐AAg‐CCi. The bacteria inhibition percentage and bacteria inhibition zone for the PP‐AAg‐CCHi were excellently. The pore and agent distribution for PP‐AAg‐CCi were examined with scanning electron microscope photographs. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Surface grafting polymerization of N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) nonwoven by plasma pretreatment and its antibacterial activities

The objective of this research was the surface grafting polymerization of biocompatible monomer N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NVP) onto a plasma‐treated nonwoven poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate with ultraviolet (UV)‐induced methods. The effects of various parameters, such as the monomer concentration, reaction time, initiator (ammonium peroxodisulfate) concentration, and crosslinking agent (N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide) concentration, on the grafting percentage were studied. The grafting efficiency of the modified nonwoven PET surfaces reached a maximum at 50 min of UV irradiation and with a 30 wt % aqueous NVP solution. After the plasma activation and/or grafting, the hydrophobic surface of the nonwoven was modified into a hydrophilic surface. NVP was successfully grafted onto nonwoven PET surfaces. The surface wettability showed that the water absorption of NVP‐grafted nonwoven PET (NVP‐g‐nonwoven PET) increased with increasing grafting time. NVP‐g‐nonwoven PET was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectra and scanning electron microscopy measurements. An antibacterial assessment using an anti‐Staphylococcus aureus test indicated that S. aureus was restrained from growing in NVP‐g‐nonwoven PET. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 803–809, 2006     

Adhesion of polyethylene plates photografted with methacrylic acid and acrylic acid with enzymatically modified chitosan solutions and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of failed surfaces

An investigation was carried out on the application of dilute chitosan solutions modified by a tyrosinase‐catalyzed reaction with 3,4‐dihydroxyphenetylamine (dopamine) to the adhesion of low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) and high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) plates photografted with carboxyl‐group‐containing hydrophilic monomers, such as methacrylic acid (MAA) and acrylic acid (AA). In the case where photografting was carried out at lower monomer concentrations or at lower temperatures, the adhesive strength sharply increased with lower grafted amounts. A sharp increase in the adhesive strength was found to be due to the formation of shorter grafted polymer chains at lower monomer concentrations and/or the restriction of the location of grafting to the outer surface region at lower temperatures. In addition, the adhesive strength also sharply increased at even lower grafted amounts for photografting onto the HDPE plates and/or that of AA because the location of grafting was restricted to the outer surface region. For the AA‐grafted LDPE and HDPE plates, substrate breaking was observed. This was attributed to the coverage of the substrate surfaces with grafted poly(acrylic acid) chains at lower grafted amounts and a high water absorptivity of the grafted layer. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the grafted LDPE plates incubated in a dopamine solution containing tyrosinase suggested that the increase in the adhesive strength was caused by the penetration of enzymatically modified chitosan solutions in the grafted layers and the subsequent reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated with grafted polymer chains. In addition, the surface analysis of the failed surfaces by XPS showed that as the adhesive strength increased, the location of failure was shifted from the interface between the layers mixed with enzymatically modified chitosan materials and grafted polymer chains to the inside the grafted layer containing enzymatically modified chitosan materials. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Preparation and characterization of poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane‐sulfonic acid) grafted chitosan using potassium persulfate as redox initiator

A grafted material based on chitosan and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) has been successfully prepared in homogenous solution using potassium persulfate as a redox initiator. The grafted copolymer was precipitated during the reaction polymerization. The effects of the reaction temperature and chitosan–potassium persulfate contact time as well as concentrations of AMPS, potassium persulfate, and acetic acid on grafting yield were investigated. The percentage of grafting is gradually increased with the increasing of the AMPS concentration. The extent of grafting can be controlled by setting the appropriate reaction conditions. The maximum percentage of grafting was about 180% under the optimum conditions (1% v/v acetic acid, 50°C reaction temperature, 10 min chitosan–potassium persulfate mixing period, 0.37 mmol of potassium persulfate, and 28.96 mmol AMPS). The grafted chitosan was insoluble in the acid of the grafting. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2314–2318, 2000     

Preparation and oil–water separation evaluations of polypropylene/low‐melt‐point polyester composites reinforced by thermal bonding and one‐step solution immersion

Nonwoven fabrics have been fabricated for oil–water separation, but simplifying the manufacturing processes is still a challenge. In this work, a facile and easily scaled up approach based on thermal bonding and one‐step solution immersion has been successfully developed to prepare nonwoven fabrics with high separation efficiency and flux of oil. Here, polypropylene (PP) and low‐melt‐point polyester (LPET) fibers with a unique sheath–core structure are employed to form PP/LPET nonwoven fabrics. Thermal bonding by hot press and hydrophobic treatment with 1H,1H,2H,2H‐perfluorodecyl‐1‐thiol (PFDT) are used to manufacture oil–water separation nonwoven fabrics. Effects of the ratio of LPET fibers and the concentration of PFDT are discussed in terms of mechanical properties, morphology, surface chemical composition, water contact angle and performance of oil–water separation and flux of the nonwoven fabrics. The results show that the strength of the nonwoven fabrics gradually increases with increasing ratio of LPET fibers. After immersion in PFDT, the nonwoven fabrics show high hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 143°. They can be used to separate oil–water mixtures. The separation efficiency is 97–99% and the oil flux is 62 364.92 L m^?2 h^?1. This study provides a new prospect for simple introduction of a hydrophobic agent on a nonwoven fabric to achieve various functional oil–water separation materials. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry     

Agent distribution and water remaining of polyester nonwoven fabrics after‐treated with polyurethane–citric acid

Polyester nonwoven fabric samples were used to treat with aqueous solutions of water‐soluble polyurethane (PU) containing the foaming agent, citric acid, or the mixtures of foaming agent and citric acid to examine the water remaining and the degradation of PU under the simulative condition of under ground. The results reveal that the viscosity of PU solutions could affect the values of pickup and add‐on. The water remaining values for PU containing citric acid are higher than those for PU containing the foaming agent and PU containing the foaming agent and citric acid. The pore structures, nonwoven construction, and the pores caused by the aggregation of PU within/on the treated nonwoven fabrics can affect the water remaining. From the observation of SEM and the comparison of FTIR, the degradation of water‐soluble PU resin is proved, which could form the rough porous surface of PU resin on the fiber surface as a factor improving the water remaining. The value of water remaining for PU containing citric after 60 weeks' treatment is significantly higher than the pristine nonwoven fabric (control). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 47–56, 2006     

Radiation‐induced grafting of pentamethyl hindered amine light stabilizer 1,2,2,6,6‐pentamethyl‐4‐piperidinyl methacrylate onto polypropylene

The γ‐radiation‐induced grafting of 1,2,2,6,6‐pentamethyl‐4‐piperidinyl methacrylate (PMPM) onto polypropylene (PP) was investigated with a simultaneous irradiation technique. The effects of the solvent, dose, monomer concentration, and photoinitiator on the grafting were investigated. The grafting was easier in a benzene solution than in chloroform and acetone solutions. The grafting percentage first increased almost linearly with the irradiation dose until 20 kGy and then increased slowly or remained constant. The grafting percentage increased with the monomer concentration until 1.1 mol/L. The grafting percentage was higher when the proper amount of benzophenone was added. The grafted samples were characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Carbonyl groups were found on grafted PP samples, and the carbonyl index increased with the grafting percentage. Thermogravimetric analyses proved the existence of grafted materials on PP, and grafted PMPM thermally decomposed at a lower temperature than PP. The radiation resistance of PP with grafted PMPM was better than that of pristine PP. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 2157–2164, 2005     

On promoting intercalation and exfoliation of bentonite in high‐density polyethylene by grafting acrylic acid

Acrylic acid (AA) grafted high‐density polyethylene (HDPE)/bentonite (BT) composites and HDPE/BT composites were prepared via melt compounding. XRD and TEM results indicated that the modification of AA grafting promoted the dispersion and intercalation of BT in HDPE matrix; IR proved that there were interactions between AA and BT sheets. Consequently, with increasing BT content, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of HDPE‐g‐AA/BT nanocomposites increased, while that of HDPE/BT composites decreased. Moreover, the addition of BT to HDPE‐g‐AA decreased the ability of crystallization of the matrix. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 2429–2434, 2005     

Study of modified polypropylene nonwoven cloth. I. graft copolymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine onto polypropylene nonwoven cloth by preirradiation method

Polypropylene (PP) nonwoven cloth was grafted with 4‐vinylpyridine (4‐VP) by a preirradiation method. The effects of preirradiation conditions on the mechanical properties of preirradiated PP nonwoven cloth and the percentage of grafting (Pg) of 4‐VP onto the preirradiated PP nonwoven cloth were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the mechanical properties of preirradiated PP nonwoven cloth decreased with increasing irradiation dose and that the Pg was greatly affected by the concentration of monomer, irradiation dose, grafting reaction temperature, and the addition of inhibitor and inorganic acid in the grafting reaction system. The grafted nonwoven cloth samples were characterized using IR spectroscopy and SEM. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1861–1868, 2000     

Stability constants of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐poly(acrylonitrile) copolymer for heavy metal ions

Amidoximated chitosan‐g‐poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) copolymer was prepared by a reaction between hydroxylamine and cyano group in chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer prepared by grafting PAN onto crosslinked chitosan with epychlorohydrine. The adsorption and desorption capacities for heavy metal ions were measured under various conditions. The adsorption capacity of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer increased with increasing pH values, and was increased for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but a little decreased for Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ with increasing PAN grafting percentage in amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer. In addition, desorption capacity for all metal ions was increased with increasing pH values in contrast to the adsorption results. Stability constants of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer were higher for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but lower for Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ than those of crosslinked chitosan. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 469–476, 1999     

Functional finishing by using atmospheric pressure plasma: Grafting of PET nonwoven fabric

Poly (ethylene terephtalate) (PET) nonwoven fabric was treated with He/O₂ plasma to produce peroxides and grafted with acrylic acid (AA) for introducing carboxyl groups onto PET surface. The graft yield increased with AA concentration from 1.5M to 2.5M, and then decreased with further increase in AA concentration. Graft yield increased with sodium pyrosulfite (SPS) concentration from 0.005M to 0.02M, and then decreased with further increase of SPS concentration. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that both of plasma treatment and AA grafting increased oxygen content and decreased carbon content on the PET nonwoven fabric surface. The grafted PET nonwoven fabric showed increase in moisture regain and dye uptake. And drastic increase in wettability was observed after grafting. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3655–3659, 2007     

Adhesion of surface‐grafted low‐density polyethylene plates with enzymatically modified chitosan solutions

An investigation was undertaken on application of dilute chitosan solutions modified by tyrosinase‐catalyzed reaction with 3,4‐dihydroxyphenetylamine (dopamine) to adhesion of the low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) plates surface‐grafted with hydrophilic monomers. Tensile shear adhesive strength effectively increased with an increase in the grafted amount for methacrylic acid‐grafted and acrylic acid‐grafted LDPE (LDPE‐g‐PMAA and LDPE‐g‐PAA) plates. In particular, substrate breaking was observed at higher grafted amounts for LDPE‐g‐PAA plates. The increase in the amino group concentration of the chitosan solutions and molecular mass of the chitosan samples led to the increase in adhesive strength. Adhesive strength of the PE‐g‐PMAA plates prepared at lower monomer concentrations sharply increased at lower grafted amounts, which indicates that the formation of shorter grafted PMAA chains is an effective procedure to increase adhesive strength at lower grafted amounts. Infrared measurements showed that the reaction of quinone derivatives enzymatically generated from dopamine with carboxyl groups was an important factor to increase adhesive strength in addition to the formation of the grafted layers with a high water absorptivity. The above‐mentioned results suggested that enzymatically modified dilute chitosan solutions can be applied to an adhesive to bond polymer substrates. The emphasis is on the fact that water is used as a solvent for preparation of chitosan solutions and photografting without any organic solvents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Pervaporation separation of water‐isopropyl alcohol mixtures with blend membranes of sodium alginate and poly(acrylamide)‐grafted guar gum

The blend membranes of sodium alginate (Na‐Alg) and poly(acrylamide)‐grafted guar gum (PAAm‐g‐GG) in the ratios of 3:1 and 1:1 were prepared and studied for the pervaporation separation of water–isopropyl alcohol mixtures over the entire range of mixture composition at 30°C. Membranes prepared from neat Na‐Alg (M‐1) and the 1:1 blend of Na‐Alg and PAAm‐g‐GG (M‐3) showed the highest separation selectivity for 10 mass % water in the feed mixture, whereas membranes prepared with the 3:1 blend ratio of Na‐Alg to PAAm‐g‐GG showed the highest separation selectivity of 20 mass % water in the feed. Selectivity decreased with increasing amount of water in the feed for all the membranes, but these values show an increase with increasing amount of grafted copolymer in the blend mixture. Flux increased with increasing amount of water in the mixture, but the flux values did not change markedly with the PAAm‐g‐GG content in the blend membrane at the lower mass % water. At higher mass % of water, the flux values of the blends increase systematically with increasing amount of PAAm‐g‐GG in the blend polymer. For the 10 mass %‐containing binary mixtures, the pervaporation separation experiments were performed at 30, 40, and 50°C, and the resulting data were used to calculate the Arrhenius activation parameters. These data indicated activated pore‐type diffusion of the permeants in the membranes. Dynamic sorption studies were also performed on up to 40 mass % water–isopropyl alcohol mixtures at 30°C. These results, when analyzed by the empirical equation, indicated Fickian transport in all the cases. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2014–2024, 2002     

Ammonia adsorption behavior of polypropylene nonwoven fabric grafted with acrylic acid

An attempt was made to synthesize an adsorbent by the photoinduced grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto polypropylene nonwoven fabrics using benzophenone (BP) as a photosensitizer in a CH₃OH/H₂O medium. As the BP concentration was increased, the graft yield was increased up to a specific value and then decreased, and the effect of AA concentration showed the same tendency. It was also found that the graft yield increased with the reaction time and temperature. The amounts of ammonia adsorbed onto polypropylene nonwoven fabrics grafted with AA (PP‐g‐AA) were dependent on the graft yield, adsorption time, and ammonia gas pressure. The adsorption capacity of PP‐g‐AA was 5.86 mmol/g at the graft yield of 116.6%, which was much higher than that of active carbon or silica gel. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 295–301, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10328     

Polypropylene/polypropylene‐grafted acrylic acid blends for multilayer films: Preparation and characterization

Polypropylene (PP) was functionalized with acrylic acid (AA) and styrene (st) as a comonomer by means of a radical‐initiated melt‐grafting reaction. FTIR, ESCA, and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopies were used to characterize the formation of polypropylene grafted with acrylic acid (PP‐g‐AA) and polypropylene grafted with acrylic acid and styrene (PP‐g‐AAst). The content of AA grafted onto PP was determined by using volumetric titration. Blends of PP with 0–100 wt % of PP‐g‐AA were prepared by melt mixing. The effect of the modified polymer content on the surfaces of cast films was characterized through FTIR–ATR and ESCA analysis as well as contact‐angle, wetting‐tension, and ink‐adhesion measurements. The influence of the content of AA on the melting and crystallization temperature of PP was investigated by DSC. The contact angles of water on cast‐film surfaces of PP/PP‐g‐AA blends decreases with increasing modified polymer content and decreasing PP‐g‐AA molecular weight. A notorious improvement on wetting tension was observed with increasing modified polymer content and decreasing PP‐g‐AA molecular weight. From FTIR–ATR and ESCA spectra of the blends, a calculation was made of the carbonyl index on the films' surfaces. It was found that the higher the carbonyl index, the lower the contact‐angle value for the polypropylene blends. An increase in crystallization temperature of PP was observed when AA monomers were grafted into PP and with increasing PP‐g‐AA content in the blend, probably caused by a nucleation effect of AA monomers that would improve the crystallization capability of PP. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 1497–1505, 2001     

Atmospheric plasma‐aided biocidal finishes for nonwoven polypropylene fabrics. I. Synthesis and characterization

Novel biocidal fabrics were synthesized by the graft copolymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto plasma‐treated nonwoven polypropylene (PP) to produce PP/GMA grafts. Atmospheric oxygenated helium plasma was used to enhance the PP fabrics' initiation before GMA grafting. The grafted PP/GMA epoxide group was reacted with β‐cyclodextrin, monochlorotrizynyl‐β‐cyclodextrins, or a quaternary ammonium chitosan derivative [N‐(2 hydroxy propyl) 3‐trimethylammonium chitosan chloride]. Some interesting biocidal agents were complexed into the cyclodextrin (CD) cavity of PP/GMA/CD grafted fabrics. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and optical and scanning electron microscopies were used to characterize the grafted complexed fabrics. These synthesized biocidal fabrics proved to be antistatic, antimicrobial, and insect‐repelling (see part II of this study). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1900–1910, 2007     

A pH‐sensitive porous chitosan membrane prepared via surface grafting copolymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide

We report the successful grafting copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) on a crosslinked porous chitosan membrane in supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures ranging from 13 to 25 MPa with the use of benzyl peroxide (BPO) as the reduction–oxidation free radical initiator. The effects of reaction pressure, initiator concentration, monomer concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time on grafting yield (GY) were investigated. GY initially increases and then decreases with increasing polymerization temperature and AA and BPO concentrations. The optimum grafting conditions to obtain maximum GY are as follows: 8 h reaction time, 80 °C reaction temperature, 3.05 × 10^?2 g mL^?1 AA concentration, 3 × 10^?3 g mL^?1 BPO concentration and 16 MPa reaction pressure. The water flux of the grafted chitosan membranes decreases with pH from 2 to 7, even at considerably low GY (0.95 wt%). A novel and green modification method has been developed for the preparation of biopolymer‐based membranes. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Permeation and separation characteristics of acetic acid/water mixtures through poly(vinyl alcohol‐g‐itaconic acid) membranes by pervaporation,evapomeation, and temperature‐difference evapomeation

In this study, itaconic acid (IA) was grafted onto poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate as an initiator at 45°C. The grafted PVA was characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. IA‐grafted PVA membranes were prepared with a casting method, and the permeation and separation characteristics of acetic acid/water mixtures were investigated with pervaporation (PV), evapomeation (EV) and temperature‐difference evapomeation (TDEV) methods. The effects of the feed composition, operating temperature, and temperature of the membrane surroundings on the permeation rate and separation factor for the acetic acid/water mixtures were studied. The permeation rates in EV were lower than those in PV, whereas the separation factors were higher. With the TDEV method, the permeation rates decreased and the separation factors increased as the temperature of the membrane surroundings decreased. The prepared membranes were also tested in PV, EV, and TDEV to separate the various compositions of the acetic acid/water mixtures (20–90 wt % acetic acid) at 40°C. The highest separation factor, 686, was obtained in TDEV with a 90 wt % acetic acid concentration in the feed. The activation energies of permeation in PV and EV were calculated to be 8.5 and 10.2 kcal/mol, respectively, for a 20 wt % acetic acid solution. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2322–2333, 2004     

Photografting polymerization of polyacrylamide on poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) films. II. Wettability and crystallization behaviors of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate)‐graft‐polyacrylamide films

The wettability and crystallization behaviors of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV)‐graft‐polyacrylamide (PAM) films were studied. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses illustrated that about 62 atom % of the total polar functionalities on the grafted film with 17% grafting percentage (GP) was amide groups. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction results suggest that grafted PAM induced defects in PHBV crystals and influenced their crystal structure. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) spectra showed the two melting regions, 60–90 and 145–170°C, of the imperfect PHBV crystals of the grafted films. Grafted PAM could suppress the recrystallization of PHBV, which was consistent with the polarizing optical microscopy results, in which the maximum PHBV spherulite diameter decreased from 350 μm for the PHBV film to 50 μm for the film with 53% GP. In addition, DSC studies revealed that the crystallinity of the grafted films decreased with increasing GP, which facilitated the diffusion of water into the films. The water contact angle of grafted films decreased and the water‐swelling percentage increased as GP went up. These results demonstrate the potential of PHBV‐g‐PAM for wettable surface constructs in tissue engineering applications. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Biodegradation and swelling studies of gelatin‐grafted polyethylene

In this article, we report on biodegradation studies and the swelling/solubility behavior of gelatin‐grafted polyethylene (PE). The successful synthesis of graft copolymers of PE with gelatin was carried out with benzoyl peroxide as the radical initiator. Biodegradation studies of the grafted PE were carried out via a soil burial test (with and without the addition of urea). Percentage weight loss was studied as a function of time, and we observed that the percentage weight loss increased with time and was higher for urea‐enriched soil samples. Microanalysis of the soil containing the samples was carried out after a specified number of days. An increase in the colonies of microorganisms with increasing number of days was observed. This revealed that the microorganisms fed upon the grafted material, which led to an increase in the percentage weight loss. Hydrolysis of the samples, taken out from the soil after a specified number of days, revealed a continuous loss of weight with increasing number of days. The effect of the degradation of the grafted samples buried in soil and urea‐enriched soil on the growth of plants was studied, and we found that the plants grew normally in the soil containing the grafted material. Swelling studies were made in binary and ternary solvent systems comprising water–ethanol and water–ethanol–dimethyl sulfoxide, respectively, to study the maximum swelling and solubility of the grafted PE. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008