Aliphatic ketones/water/alcohol as a new photoinitiating system for the photografting of methacrylic acid onto high-density polyethylene

The photografting of methacrylic acid (MAA) onto high-density polyethylene (HDPE) initiated by aliphatic ketones, butanone, pentanone, heptanone, etc. has been reported. When these ketones were used alone or just with ethanol, grafting did not occur. However, grafting took place when a proper butanone/water/ethanol mixed solvent was used. When the volume ratio of butanone was fixed, the grafting of MAA onto HDPE became easier with an increase in the volume ratio of water. The grafting of MAA onto HDPE became easier and faster with a decrease in the volume ratio of butanone. The grafting rate increased with the increase of monomer concentration. The nature of the alcohol also affected the self-initiation by aliphatic ketone; ethanol was found to be better than methanol. Possibly, hydrogen bond formed between aliphatic ketone and water increases the energy and lifetime of the excited state of the ketone, permitting it to act as a grafting and polymerisation initiator. FTIR characterization of the grafted samples proves the successful grafting of MAA onto HDPE. The water absorbency of the grafted samples increased almost linearly with the extent of grafting both in air and in water. The PE films grafted in the butanone/water/ethanol solvent adsorbed approximately 30-40 mass% water per p-MAA.     

Effect of acid and pH value on the photografting initiated by aliphatic ketones in aqueous solutions

The photografting of methacrylic acid (MAA) onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) initiated by aliphatic ketones (acetone, butanone, and cyclohexanone) in aqueous solutions with different pH values adjusted by adding different amount of mineral acids was reported. Acids significantly enhanced the photografting yield, and the extent of grafting generally increased with decreasing pH value. The effect of pH value on the grafting reactions varied with the acid used. The grafting of MAA onto HDPE surface was confirmed with FTIR and SEM characterizations. The water absorbency of the grafted p‐MAA varied with the extent of grafting. When the extent of grafting was less than 2000–3000 μg/cm², grafted p‐MAA absorbed about 25–30% water, whereas at higher extent of grafting, it absorbed about 50% water. The mechanism of the acid enhancement of the photografting of MAA initiated by aliphatic ketones in aqueous solutions is believed to be attributed to the change of the solubility of monomer in the solution and the conformation of grafted chains, both are favorable for accelerating grafting reactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Photografting of methacrylic acid onto hydroxyapatite particles surfaces

The unsaturated functional groups (C?C) were introduced onto hydroxypatite (HAP) particles surfaces by esterification reaction between hydroxyl groups on the HAP surface and methacrylic acid (MAA). Then, graft polymerization of MAA onto the esterified HAP particles surfaces was carried out by ultraviolet light (UV) initiation. The structure of the surface‐esterified and grafted HAP was studied by ESCA, FTIR, Scanning Electron microscopy, laser particle sizes analyze, esterification, and graft degrees tests. The results show that poly(methyl acrylic acid) (PMAA) is successfully inserted onto HAP particles surfaces by covalent bond linkage. The esterification degree between MAA and HAP particles increases with reaction temperature and time, and tends to level off at about 6 h under 90°C. The graft degree of MAA onto HAP particles with 1.14% esterification degree and its average particle sizes increase with UV initiation polymerization time, and to reach a maximum at 25 min under 40°C, then decrease as irradiation time further increases. The surfaces of the grafted HAP particles become rough and loose. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Functionalizing of polyurethane surfaces by photografting with hydrophilic monomers

Poly(ester urethane) (PU) with functional groups (amide, hydroxyl, carboxyl) on surfaces were prepared by grafting monomers such as acrylamide (AAm), hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and methacrylic acid (MAA) onto the PU membranes. Grafting copolymerization was carried out by the combined use of photooxidization and UV irradiation grafting. The PU membrane was photooxidized in hydrogen peroxide solution under UV light to yield hydroperoxide groups on the surface and then irradiation grafting with monomer in water. The ATR‐FTIR spectrum, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterized the grafted copolymers and verified the occurrence of grafting copolymerization. The results showed that the content of hydroperoxide groups yielded was dependent on the photooxidization time and reached maximum at about 8 h. Grafting copolymerization was enhanced when irradiating by UV light. The degree of grafting was increased with the increase of content of hydroperoxide groups, irradiation time, and monomer concentration. The grafting copolymerization was enhanced when an appropriate amount of ferrous ions was added. After grafting, the wettability of PU and the water absorption percentage increased with the degree of grafting. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2505–2512, 2000     

Photografting of methyl methacrylate onto high‐density polyethylene initiated by aliphatic ketones

The photografting of a water‐insoluble monomer methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) initiated by an aliphatic ketone/water/alcohol initiating system has been reported. The aliphatic ketones, such as acetone, butanone, and cyclohexanone, could effectively initiate the grafting reaction when they were mixed with water and ethanol to form homogeneous aliphatic ketone/water/ethanol mixed solvents that could dissolve the water‐insoluble monomer. The nature of aliphatic ketone affected the grafting; at the same aliphatic ketone/water/ethanol volume ratio, the grafting system containing acetone or butanone always led to a higher extent of grafting than that containing cyclohexanone. Water also played a very important role in the grafting reaction; in the tested range, the rate of formation of grafted PMMA on HDPE increased with the increase of water : volume ratio. The grafting of MMA carried out in 5 acetone/40 water/55 ethanol mixed solvent led to the highest extent of grafting. ATR‐FTIR characterizations of the grafted samples proved the successful grafting of MMA onto HDPE. SEM investigations of the HDPE surfaces grafted in different aliphatic ketone/water/ethanol mixed solvents indicate the morphologies of grafted surfaces varied with the mixed solvents used. This study broadened the application fields of the aliphatic ketone/water/alcohol initiating system for photografting. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Surface photografting initiated by benzophenone in water and mixed solvents containing water and ethanol

Photografting reactions are usually carried out in organic solvents due to the water insoluble nature of photoinitiators such as benzophenone (BP). This work reports the effect of water and mixed solvents containing water and ethanol on the surface photografting of methacrylic acid (MAA) onto polyethylene initiated by BP. The percent grafting increased with the increase of water volume ratio in the mixed solvent, and BP showed the highest photoinitiation efficiency when dissolved in pure water solvent. Effects of BP concentration, monomer concentration, and monomer type on photografting were studied. The percent grafting showed the maximum at a lower BP concentration (0.20 mol/mol %) in pure water solvent than that (0.60 mol/mol %) in the mixed solvent with 90 v/v % water. The percent grafting first increased with the increase of monomer concentration till 3 mol L^?1 and then decreased. Acrylic acid (AA) could also be photografted onto polyethylene by BP in the mixed solvents. UV–visible spectroscopic examinations revealed that the λ_max of π–π* transitions of BP red shifted as the increase of the water volume ratio, i.e., the polarity of the solvent. The excitation of BP in solvents with a higher polarity under UV irradiation requires less energy, so the photografting initiated by BP is easier to occur. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafted with acrylic acid/styrene binary monomers for selective permeation of heavy metals

A study was made to modify water‐soluble poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by grafting acrylic acid and styrene (AAc/Sty) comonomers using gamma rays as an initiator. The factors that affect the preparation process and grafting yield were studied and more economical grafts under the most favorable reaction conditions were obtained. It was found that the high degree of grafting in such systems was obtained in the presence of an ethanol–water mixture in which water plays a significant role in enhancing the graft copolymerization. The critical amount of water to afford the maximum grafting yield was evaluated. The effect of the comonomer composition on the grafting yield was also investigated and it was observed that using a mixture of AAc/Sty monomers influences the extent of grafting of each monomer onto the PVA substrate and the phenomenon of synergism occurs during such a reaction. Also, the degree of grafting increases as the content of the solvent decreases in the reaction medium. However, the grafting yield increased as the total dose increased. The graft copolymer was characterized by IR and UV spectroscopic methods. The permeation of heavy metals such as Ni and Co through the grafted membranes was investigated and the efficiency of the separation process was also determined. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 806–815, 1999     

Radiation grafting of acrylic acid/N‐vinyl pyrrolidone binary mixture onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric and growth of human mesenchymal stem cell

Radiation grafting of acrylic acid (AA)/N‐vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) binary mixture onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) knittings was investigated by preirradiation technique. The influence of the grafting conditions, such as monomer composition, reaction temperature, and the effect of storage time with temperature after irradiation on the degree of grafting was determined. ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy analysis of the grafted knittings confirmed the existence of amide group of NVP in the knittings. The concentration of peroxides and effect of storage time on peroxide concentration were also determined by 2,2‐Diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl at different temperatures. There was an increase in surface roughness of grafted PET in comparison to virgin PET as determined by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The grafted knittings were subsequently immobilized with collagen Type I which was further apt for the study of growth and morphology of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC). The immobilization of collagen on PET knittings has provided an excellent surface for the growth of hMSCs. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Characterization of acrylic acid grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabric

The preirradiation grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) had been found to affect the thermal and physical characteristics of fabric. The grafted fabrics with various graft levels were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy, contact angle, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The initial decomposition temperature and T₅₀ were increased with the increase in degree of grafting. The percentage crystallinity was decreased as the degree of grafting increases. The detailed elemental analysis was done by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The atomic ratio (O_1s/C_1s) was found to increase significantly with increasing the degree of grafting and reached 0.64 at 14.5% grafting from 0.38 for virgin PET. The surface topography and morphology was strongly influenced as the degree of grafting was increased. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Photografting of methacrylic acid onto HDPE initiated by acetaldehyde in aqueous solutions

Acetaldehyde could act as a very effective photoinitiator for water‐borne photografting. The photografting of methacrylic acid (MAA) onto polyethylene initiated by acetaldehyde in aqueous solutions was reported. Acetaldehyde had higher photoinitiation efficiency than acetone and formaldehyde. The extent of grafting varied with the acetaldehyde content in the solution and it showed the maximum when the content of acetaldehyde was about 10 w/w %. The extent of grafting firstly increased with the increase of monomer concentration till 2 mol/L and then kept constant or slightly decreased. ATR‐FTIR characterizations of the grafted samples proved the successful grafting of MAA onto PE, and the calculated carbonyl indexes were in accord with the results obtained by the gravimetric method. The water absorbency of the grafted samples increased almost linearly with the extent of grafting. The difference in the photoinitiation efficiencies of acetaldehyde, acetone and formaldehyde was discussed through their differences in the n‐π* transitions in water and the photoinitiation process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

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     

Preparation of polypropylene‐graft‐cardanol by reactive extrusion and its composite material with bamboo powder

The polypropylene‐graft‐cardanol was prepared by reactive extrusion, which is solvent‐free melt process, continuous processing, and controllable over residence time. The effect of monomer and initiator concentration on grafting ratio, grafting efficiency, and melt flow index (MFI) was also studied. The yield was quantified by UV–vis spectrometer. The chemical structure was investigated by infrared spectroscopy and gel ratio. A possible mechanism was supposed. The particular structure of cardanol can retain the MFI value of matrix resins and prevent polypropylene (PP) from being decomposed. The grafting ratio could be easily obtained from an experimental formula deduced from the linearity relationship between grafting ratio and MFI. The effect of cardanol grafted onto PP on the compatibility of PP and bamboo powder was studied by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and tensile properties test. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Effect of modified carbon black on the UV/IR screening ability of poly(ethylene terephthalate) transparent films

The mixed solution of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/carbon black (CB) and PET/modified CB (m‐CB) were coated on glass substrates to fabricate light screening films. m‐CB was prepared using a solid phase modification method through mechanical blending of CB and 2‐(2′‐Hydroxy‐5′‐methylphenyl)‐benzotriazole (UV‐P) in weight composition of 50 : 50. The results of dynamic light scattering (DLS), optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the modification of CB obviously reduced the particle and aggregate sizes of CB, leading to better dispersion of m‐CB in PET films. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) proved that UV‐P was grafted on CB after blending and changed the molecular structure of CB. Ultraviolet‐visible‐Infrared (UV‐vis‐IR) spectrophotometer tests showed that the UV/IR absorption property of the films improved obviously while the visible light transmittance reduced gradually with the increase of m‐CB content from 0.5 to 6 wt%. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results showed the addition of 4 wt% m‐CB decreased the crystallinity of PET matrix, which effectively inhibited the destruction of the film transparency with the addition of more CB. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Crystallization behavior and UV‐protection property of PET‐ZnO nanocomposites prepared by in situ polymerization

The aim of this study was to investigate the crystallization behavior and UV‐protection property of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)‐ZnO nanocomposits. PET‐ZnO nanocomposites containing 0.5–3.0 wt % of ZnO were successfully synthesized by in situ polymerization. The Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated the silane coupling agent was anchored onto the surface of ZnO. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed ZnO particles were dispersed homogeneously in PET matrix with amount of 0.5–1.0 wt %. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results exhibited that the incorporation of ZnO into PET resulted in increase of the melting transition temperature (T_m) and crystallization temperature (T_c) of PET‐ZnO nanocomposites. The crystallization behavior of PET and PET‐ZnO nanocomposites was strongly affected by cooling rate. ZnO nanoparticles can act as an efficient nucleating agent to facilitate PET crystallization. UV–vis spectrophotometry showed that UV‐ray transmittance of PET‐ZnO nanocomposites decreased remarkably and reached the minimum value of 14.3% with 1.5 wt % of ZnO, compared with pure PET whose UV‐ray transmittance was 84.5%. PET‐ZnO nanocomposites exhibited better UV‐protection property than pure PET, especially in the range of UVA. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Improving blood compatibility of natural rubber by UV‐induced graft polymerization of hydrophilic monomers

Natural rubber (NR) latex films surface‐grafted with hydrophilic monomers, poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA), N‐vinylpyrrolidone (VPy), and 2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), were prepared by UV‐induced graft polymerization using benzophenone as a photosensitizer. The grafting yield increases of vulcanized NR latex films as a function of time and monomer concentration were of lesser magnitude than those of the unvulcanized NR latex films. This can be explained as a result of the crosslinked network generated during vulcanization acting as a barrier to the permeation of the photosensitizer and the monomer. The appearance of a characteristic carbonyl stretching in the attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR) spectra of NR latex films after the surface grafting of PEGMA and MPC indicates that the modification has proceeded at least to the sampling depth of ATR‐FTIR (∼ 1–2 μm). According to the water contact angle of the modified NR latex films, the surface grafting density became higher as the grafting time and monomer concentration increased. The complete absence of plasma protein adsorption and platelet adhesion on the surface‐modified NR latex films having grafting yield above 1 wt % is a strong indication of improved blood compatibility. Results from tensile tests suggest that graft polymerization does not cause adverse effects on the mechanical properties of vulcanized NR latex films. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of novel graft copolymers by radiation‐induced grafting

The radiation‐induced graft copolymerization of N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NVP), 4‐vinyl pyridine (4VP), and 2‐vinyl pyridine (2VP) monomers onto poly (ethylene‐alt‐tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) was investigated. The influence of synthesis conditions particularly the solvent was studied. Various solvents, such as n‐propanol, isoproponol, benzyl alcohol, methanol, ethanol, cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), nitromethane, 1,4‐dioxane, and n‐heptane were examined for this purpose. Graft copolymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy‐energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDAX). It was found that the nature of the solvent had profound influence over the grafting reaction. Cyclohexanone, n‐propanol, and isoproponol for 4VP/ETFE grafting, THF and 1,4‐dioxane for NVP/ETFE grafting, and benzyl alcohol and methanol for 2VP/ETFE grafting were found to be the suitable solvents yielding highest graft levels. Isoproponol and n‐propanol are promising in terms of both graft level and mechanical properties for 4VP/ETFE. Grafting of NVP, 4VP, and 2VP onto ETFE were verified through FTIR spectroscopy. Storage modulus and glass transition temperature of the copolymers were found to increase as graft level increased. Surface profile of representative films was also investigated by viewing the distribution of elemental nitrogen using SEM‐EDAX. Results indicated that copolymers of 4VP, NVP, and 2VP are considerably different from each other. 4VP‐based copolymers exhibited relatively more homogenous grafting over the surface compared with NVP‐ and 2VP‐based copolymers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Photografting of unable‐to‐be‐irradiated surfaces. I. Batch vapor‐phase process by one‐step method

Surfaces unable‐to‐be‐irradiated are those that could not be directly exposed to UV irradiation because of their irregular structure or instability under UV irradiation. It is difficult to conduct surface photografting on these kinds of surfaces with conventional photografting methods. Here, a novel one‐step surface photografting method is introduced, by which some monomers were smoothly grafted on the surface of polymer substrates located in a region out of the reach of UV radiation. The mechanism is that the photochemical reaction is separated into three events, absorbing UV light in one place, then transporting light energy to another place, and reacting there; in other words, the conventional photochemical reaction is separated by space and time, and the key point is that the substrate does not need to be exposed to UV irradiation. The occurrence of grafting polymerization was proved by UV–vis, ATR‐IR, SEM, XPS, and water contact angle measurements. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2269–2276, 2006     

Grafting of vinyl monomers onto nylon-6. 1. Graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto nylon-6 using trivalent manganese as initiator

The use of trivalent manganese to initiate graft-copolymerization of acrylamide onto nylon-6 has been investigated. The rate of grafting has been determined by varying monomer, manganese(III), temperature and solvent mixtures. The graft yield increases with increasing monomer concentration up to 0.8 M and with further increase of monomer concentration the graft yield decreases. The percentage of grafting increases with managanese (III) ion concentration up to 5.25 × 10^?3 M and thereafter it decreases. The rate of reaction depends on temperature. Among the solvent composition studied, a water/solvent mixture containing 25% of the solvent seems to constitute the most favourable medium for grafting and with further increase of solvent composition, the graft yield decreases.     

Grafting of vinyl monomers onto silk fibers: Trivalent-manganese-initiated graft copolymerization of acrylamide onto silk fibers

Graft copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) onto silk fibers, using Mn(III)–sulphate as initiator, has been investigated, in aqueous sulphuric acid in the temperature range of 30–55°C. Grafting reaction has been studied by varying the concentration of monomer, Mn(III), sulphuric acid, temperature, and also with the modified silk. The graft yield increases significantly with increase of monomer concentrations to the extent of 0.85M, after which the rate falls. With increase in Mn(III) concentration and H⁺ ion concentration the graft yield increases, but after an optimum concentration a depression in the graft yield is noticed. The rate of the reaction is temperature-dependent; with increase of temperature the graft-on increases. Among the solvent composition studied a solvent/water mixture containing 10% of the solvent seems to constitute the most favorable medium for grafting, and a further increase of solvent composition decreases the graft yield. The effect of various additives such as transition metal salts, aromatic and heterocyclic amines on grafting reaction has been studied. A suitable mechanism for grafting has been proposed. Finally physical characterization such as thermal analysis (TGA) of the grafted samples has been carried out in order to ensure grafting and to study the change in the properties of the fibers.     

Fouling control in a submerged membrane‐bioreactor by the membrane surface modification

To improve the antifouling characteristics, polypropylene microporous membranes (PPHFMMs) were surface‐modified by the sequential photoinduced graft polymerization of acrylic acid and acrylamide. The grafting density and the grafting chain length, which played important roles in the antifouling characteristics, were controlled in the first and the second step, respectively. The ATR/FTIR results clearly indicated the successful modification on the membrane surface. The static water contact angle of the modified membrane reduced obviously with the increase of the grafting chain length. The contact angle of the acrylic acid modified membranes was lower than that of the acrylamide modified membrane with similar grafting chain length. The grafting chain length increased with the increase of UV irradiation time and monomer concentration. The grafting chain length of poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) was lower than that of the polyacrylamide (PAAm) under the same polymerization conditions. Pure water flux for the modified membranes increased with the increase of grafting chain length, and had maximums. The antifouling characteristics of the modified membranes in a submerged membrane‐bioreactor (SMBR) were evaluated. The modified membranes showed better filtration performances in the SMBR than the unmodified membrane, and the acrylic acid grafted membrane presented better antifouling characteristics than acrylamide modified membranes. The results demonstrated that the surface carboxyl‐containing membranes were better than the surface amido‐containing membranes. The results of Pearson correlations demonstrated that the PAAc modified membranes with longer grafting chain length had higher flux recoveries, while the PAAm modified membranes with longer grafting chain length had lower flux recoveries. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010