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     

Surface grafting modification of fibrous silicates with polyvinylpyrrolidone and its application in nanocomposites

Chemical surface modification of fibrous silicate with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or its derivates via grafting‐from and grafting‐to methods was investigated. The grafting‐from method was based on the immobilization of reactive end functional groups of silane coupling agents on silicate surface, followed by chain growth via radical polymerization of N‐vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) to form grafted polymers with different molecular weight. In the grafting‐to method, a novel copolymer PVP‐171 with side functionalized groups and designed molecular weight was synthesized by radical polymerization of NVP and vinyltrimethoxysilane (DB171) and then bonded to the surface of fibrous silicates. Evidences from FTIR, XPS, TGA, and BET test indicate that there are ～ 68,000 reactive sites per square meters on the surface with the grafted vinyl concentration of 59 mequiv per 100 g of clay. XRD patterns and SEM images demonstrate that grafting modification was bound on the silicate surface and make the surface rough with the increase of graft‐loading quantity. In contrast with grafting‐to approach, grafting‐from approach facilitates the dispersion of silicates in PET composites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Surface modification of poly(ether sulfone) ultrafiltration membranes by low‐temperature plasma‐induced graft polymerization

Low‐temperature helium plasma treatment followed by grafting of N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NVP) onto poly(ether sulfone) (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes was used to modify commercial PES membranes. Helium plasma treatment alone and post‐NVP grafting substantially increased the surface hydrophilicity compared with the unmodified virgin PES membranes. The degree of modification was adjusted by plasma treatment time and polymerization conditions (temperature, NVP concentration, and graft density). The NVP‐grafted PES surfaces were characterized by Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. Plasma treatment roughened the membrane as measured by atomic‐force microscopy. Also, using a filtration protocol to simulate protein fouling and cleaning potential, the surface modified membranes were notably less susceptible to BSA fouling than the virgin PES membrane or a commercial low‐protein binding PES membrane. In addition, the modified membranes were easier to clean and required little caustic to recover permeation flux. The absolute and relative permeation flux values were quite similar for the plasma‐treated and NVP‐grafted membranes and notably higher than the virgin membrane. The main difference being the expected long‐term instability of the plasma treated as compared with the NVP‐grafted membranes. These results provide a foundation for using low‐temperature plasma‐induced grafting on PES with a variety of other molecules, including other hydrophilic monomers besides NVP, charged or hydrophobic molecules, binding domains, and biologically active molecules such as enzymes and ribozymes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1699–1711, 1999     

Bone cell viability on collagen immobilized poly(3‐hydroxybutrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) membrane: Effect of surface chemistry

The effect of surface chemistry on proliferation and morphology of bone cells cultured on surface modified poly(3‐hydroxybutrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and untreated PHBV was evaluated. The surface of cast PHBV film was physically and chemically immobilized with collagen. For preparing chemically immobilized collagen surface, PHBV film was ozone treated followed by grafting of PMAA chains and the immobilization of collagen. The surface roughness and hydrophilicity of PHBV film were determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements, respectively. It was found that the duration of ozone exposure and monomer concentration used for grafting PMMA chains influenced the amount of collagen immobilized. The cell proliferation on PHBV surfaces with chemically and physically immobilized collagen was compared with untreated PHBV using 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The bone cell activity on chemically and physically immobilized collagen PHBV films was found to be 246 and 107% for UMR‐106 and 68 and 9% for MC3T3 cell lines, respectively. Although the results are very preliminary, the chemically grafted collagen on PHBV surface provided a favorable matrix for cell proliferation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2445–2453, 2004     

Preparation of chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride)‐g‐poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone) membranes and their water permeation properties

Chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC) membranes for microfiltration processes were prepared with the combined process of a solvent evaporation technique and the water‐vapor induced‐phase‐inversion method. CPVC membranes with a mean pore size of 0.7 μm were very hydrophobic. These membranes were subjected to surface modification by ultraviolet (UV)‐assisted graft polymerization with N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NVP) to increase their surface wettability and decrease their adsorptive fouling. The grafting yields of the modified membranes were controlled by alteration of UV irradiation time and NVP monomer concentration. The changes in chemical structure between the CPVC membrane and the CPVC‐g‐poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone) membrane and the variation of the topologies of the modified PVC membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. According to the results, the graft yield of the modified CPVC membrane reached a maximum at 5 min of UV exposure time and 20 vol % NVP concentration. The filtration behavior of these membranes was investigated with deionized water by a crossflow filtration measurement. The surface hydrophilicity and roughness were easily changed by the grafting of NVP on the surface of the CPVC membrane through a simultaneous irradiation grafting method by UV irradiation. To confirm the effect of grafting for filtration, we compared the unmodified and modified CPVC membranes with respect to their deionized water permeation by using crossflow filtration methods. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 3188–3195, 2003     

Synthesis of controlled thermoresponsive PET track‐etched membranes by ATRP method

Controlled thermoresponsive PET track‐etched membranes were synthesized by grafting N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) onto the membrane surface via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The initial measurements were made to determine the anchoring of ATRP initiator on PET membrane surface. Thereafter, polymerization was carried out to control the mass of polymer by controlling reaction time grafted from the membrane surface and, ATR‐FTIR, grafting degree measurements, water contact angle measurements, TGA, and SEM were used to characterize changes in the chemical functionality, surface and pore morphology of membranes as a result of modification. Water flux measurements were used to evaluate the thermoresponsive capacity of grafted membranes. The results show the grafted PET track‐etched membranes exhibit rapid and reversible response of permeability to environmental temperature, and its permeability could be controlled by controlling polymerization time using ATRP method. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

Swelling behavior and cell viability of dehydrothermally crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel grafted with N‐vinyl pyrrolidone or acrylic acid using γ‐radiation

To improve equilibrium water content, dehydrothermally crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel was grafted with N‐vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) or acrylic acid (AA) monomer using γ‐radiation. Swelling behavior of the grafted hydrogels was studied in phosphate‐buffered saline, and cell viability was evaluated using fibroblast cells from mouse connective tissue. Equilibrium water content of AA‐ and NVP‐grafted PVA hydrogel ranged between 40–60% and 60–80%, respectively, depending on radiation dose and monomer concentration. For maximum degree of swelling, the optimum monomer concentration and radiation dose were 20% by weight and 20 kGy, respectively. Fibroblast cells seeded on NVP‐grafted hydrogel had an extended oval morphology while those seeded on AA‐grafted PVA had a rounded spherical morphology. These results support the use of NVP for grafting PVA to increase swelling and improve cell viability. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 2862–2868, 2004     

Synthesis of well‐defined responsive membranes with fixable solvent responsiveness

A versatile method is described to synthesize a new family of solvent‐responsive membranes whose response states can be not only tunable but also fixable via ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induced crosslinking. The atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide was first immobilized on the poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track‐etched membrane followed by room‐temperature ATRP grafting of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (P(HEMA‐co‐DMAEMA)) respectively. The hydroxyl groups of PHEMA were further reacted with cinnamoyl chloride (a photosensitive monomer) to obtain photo‐crosslinkable PET‐g‐PHEMA/CA membrane and PET‐g‐P(HEMA/CA‐co‐DMAEMA) membrane. The length of grafted polymer chains was controllable by varying the polymerization time. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to characterize the resulting membranes. The various membrane surface morphologies resulting from different states of the grafted chains in water and dimethylformamide were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the grafted P(HEMA/CA‐co‐DMAEMA) chains had more pronounced solvent responsivity than the grafted PHEMA/CA chains. The surface morphologies of the grafted membranes could be adjusted using different solvents and fixed by UV irradiation crosslinking. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Graft copolymerization of an itaconic acid/acrylamide monomer mixture onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers with benzoyl peroxide

A mixture of acrylamide (AAm) and itaconic acid (IA) was grafted onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers with benzoyl peroxide in aqueous media. The effects of polymerization conditions such as the temperature, polymerization time, initiator concentration, and monomer mixture ratio on grafting were investigated. The maximum graft yield was 76.1% with an AAm/IA mixture ratio of 90/10 (mol/mol). The graft yield was as low as 3% in the single grafting of IA, whereas the use of AAm as a comonomer increased the amount of IA that entered the fiber structure to 33.5%. An increase in the temperature from 65 to 85°C increased the grafting rate and saturation graft yield. However, an increase in the temperature above 85°C decreased the saturation graft yield. The graft yield increased up to an initiator concentration of 1.0 × 10^?2 M and decreased afterwards. The grafting rate was 0.65th‐ and 0.74th‐order with respect to the initiator and AAm concentrations, respectively. The densities, diameters, and moisture‐regain values of the AAm/IA‐grafted PET fibers increased with the graft yield. Similarly, there was an increase in the dyeability of the AAm/IA‐grafted fibers with acidic and basic dyes. The grafted fibers were characterized with Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analysis, and their morphologies were examined with scanning electron microscopy. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 1795–1803, 2005     

Carrier‐free dyeing of radiation‐grafted polyester fabrics with disperse dyes

Carrier‐free dyeing of radiation‐grafted polyester fabrics with disperse red dye was studied in the temperature range 283–363 K. 1‐vinyl 2‐pyrrolidone (NVP), acrylic acid (AA) or their mixture was used to graft poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric. The effects of pH of the dye solution, graft yield (GY), dyeing time (t), dye concentration (C), and dyeing temperature (T) on the colour difference (CD) of PET fabric were studied. The best dyeing condition was achieved at pH 5.5. CD increases linearly with the increase in GY, with slopes depending on the type of grafted copolymer. CD increased rapidly as the dyeing time increased; this was followed by a relatively slow dyeing rate within a few minutes. The initial dyeing rate (R) was found to increase with an increase in C and T. The dyeing rates for all grafted samples followed 0.35‐order kinetics and are temperature‐independent. Average activation energy 9.26 kJ mol^?1 is calculated for the dyeing process and is independent of the fabric treatment. Pre‐exponential rate constants 1976, 1839, and 1579 (CD/GY) s^?1 were calculated for dyeing PET samples grafted with AA/NVP mixture, NVP and AA, respectively, while 1074 CD s^?1 was evaluated for carrier dyeing of ungrafted fabric. Analysis of the kinetic parameters and the dyeing mechanism revealed that dyeing PET fabric was diffusion‐controlled. Grafting PET fabric improved significantly the dyeing affinity of the DR dye over ungrafted samples dyed in solutions containing a carrier. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Graft polymerization of vinyl acetate onto silica

The free‐radical graft polymerization of vinyl acetate onto nonporous silica particles was studied experimentally. The grafting procedure consisted of surface activation with vinyltrimethoxysilane, followed by free‐radical graft polymerization of vinyl acetate in ethyl acetate with 2,2′‐azobis(2,4‐dimethylpentanenitrile) initiator. Initial monomer concentration was varied from 10 to 40% by volume and the reaction was spanned from 50 to 70°C. The resulting grafted polymer, which was stable over a wide range of pH levels, consisted of polymer chains that are terminally and covalently bonded to the silica substrate. The experimental polymerization rate order, with respect to monomer concentration, ranged from 1.61 to 2.00, consistent with the kinetic order for the high polymerization regime. The corresponding rate order for polymer grafting varied from 1.24 to 1.43. The polymer graft yield increased with both initial monomer concentration and reaction temperature, and the polymer‐grafted surface became more hydrophobic with increasing polymer graft yield. The present study suggests that a denser grafted polymer phase of shorter chains was created upon increasing temperature. On the other hand, both polymer chain length and polymer graft density increased with initial monomer concentration. Atomic force microscopy–determined topology of the polymer‐grafted surface revealed a distribution of surface clusters and surface elevations consistent with the expected broad molecular‐weight distribution for free‐radical polymerization. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 300–310, 2003     

Grafting of polyacrylamide from poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films were modified via the grafting of polyacrylamide (PAAM) onto the surface by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and UV‐initiated grafting. The surface composition and morphology of the modified PET films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the surface of the PET film was grafted by PAAM, with its own surface morphology different from that of PET. The properties of the modified PET films were studied by contact‐angle, peeling force, penetrability, haze, and friction factor measurements. The results indicate that the peeling force and friction factor of the modified PET films were higher than those of the unmodified PET film. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Thermal crosslinking of collagen immobilized on poly(acrylic acid) grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

Graft polymerization of acrylic acid onto plasma‐treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films was used to prepare surfaces suitable for collagen immobilization by dip‐coating. Such surfaces could be used as matrices for smooth muscle cell cultures in tissue engineering. Contact angle measurements showed that plasma‐treated and grafted PET films undergo considerable surface reorganization during storage under ambient conditions. However, after collagen immobilization the contact angle remained relatively stable. The amount of collagen initially attached to the film surface increased with increasing poly(acrylic acid) graft density, but subsequent washing in water led to significant collagen loss. This loss could nevertheless be substantially reduced by thermal crosslinking of the collagen in the range 110–130 °C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations suggested that the washed crosslinked collagen has a very similar structure to that of the un‐crosslinked collagen. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1874–1880, 2002     

Temperature‐sensitive membranes prepared by the plasma‐induced graft polymerization of N‐Isopropylacrylamide into porous polyethylene membranes

A temperature‐responsive polymer, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), was grafted onto porous polyethylene membranes by a plasma‐induced graft polymerization technique. A wide range of grafting was achieved through variations in the grafting conditions, including the postpolymerization temperature, time, monomer concentration, and graft‐reaction medium. The active species induced by plasma treatment was proven to be long‐living via a postpolymerization time of 95 h. Different solvent compositions, that is, water, methanol, benzene, and water/methanol, were used as reaction media, and water showed a much higher polymerization rate than the organic solvents. Based on the hydrophilicity of the active species, a mechanism explaining the solvent effect in plasma‐induced graft polymerization was examined. Characterizations by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and micro Fourier transform infrared showed that the grafted polymers were located on both the outer surface and inside pores of the membranes. The XPS analysis also confirmed that the polar amide groups tended to distribute more outward when grafted PNIPAAm was in its expanding state than when it was in its shrinking state. Water permeation experiments showed that the permeability of the grafted membranes varied dramatically with a slight temperature change in the vicinity of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAAm. The effective pore radii of the grafted membranes above and below the LCST could be depicted by Hagen‐Poiseuille's law. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 3180–3187, 2003     

Processes involved during radiation grafting of N‐vinyl pyrrolidone onto poly(ethylene terephthatate) fabric

Kinetics of radiation grafting of N‐vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabric revealed the existence of four different processes. These are as follows: the grafting, the homopolymerization, the degradation, and the diffusion. The grafting process was followed by the increase in weight with the increase in irradiation time (t), while the homopolymerization and the degradation processes were evaluated from changes in the square root of the specific viscosity of the irradiated monomer solution (√η_sp) with the increase in t. All processes were carried out at different NVP concentrations, different irradiation temperatures (T), and a dose rate 1.31 Gy s^?1. All processes followed first‐order kinetics except the degradation process that followed a 0.6‐order. The rate (R) and rate constant (k) of grafting and diffusion processes were found to increase with the increase in T, while the homopolymerization and degradation processes showed negative temperature dependence. The sum of R of the four processes was proportional to the initial NVP concentration, while k of the four processes was independent of T and has a value of 0.674 min^?1. The respective apparent activation energies of 24.0, 6.24, 6.84, and 2.5 kJ mol^?1 were calculated for the four processes. The NVP molecules participated in each process and their energies were evaluated. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3009–3022, 2006     

Effect of grafting of acrylic acid onto PET film surfaces by UV irradiation on the adhesion of PSAs

To improve the peel strength between a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) and its substrate, grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto the surface of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film was carried out. After AA was coated onto the surface of PET films using a spin coater, the coated PET films were irradiated by UV. To investigate the surface chemistry and topography of the PET-g-AA films, the grafted surface of the PET films was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). From these investigations, the effects of grafting of AA at the surface of PET by UV irradiation were discussed. In addition, to determine the effect of grafting on the adhesion between PSA polymer and PET-g-AA films, peel strength was measured after the PSA/PET-g-AA system was cured at various temperatures. As the esterification between PSA polymer and PET-g-AA films occurred in the interfacial region, the peel strength of the PSA/PET-g-AA system generally increased with increasing curing temperature.     

Lipases improve the grafting of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fabrics with acrylic acid

In this study, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics were modified with two types of commercial lipases, namely, Lipex and Lipolase, and grafted with acrylic acid (AA) to improve their absorption properties. The effects of the enzyme concentration, reaction temperature, time, and pH on the grafting of AA onto PET were investigated. The pretreatment of PET with lipases increased the amount of AA that was introduced to the PET fibers, whereas AA grafting onto the untreated PET fabrics led to lower graft yields. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the AA‐grafted pretreated polyester fabrics. A new band appearing at 1546 cm^?1 in the Fourier transform infrared spectrum implied that AA was introduced onto the PET fabrics. The surfaces of the fabric fibers presented in scanning electron microscopy micrographs clearly indicated the formation of a layer of grafted poly (acrylic acid). The results show that the density of surface grafting was improved by the lipase pretreatment. The increase in grafting was higher for Lipex than for Lipolase. The highest graft yield was obtained with 1% Lipex and Lipolase for 30 min at pH values of 7 and 5, respectively. There were no significant changes in the tenacity or weight reduction of the fabrics. The moisture content of the samples increased linearly with increasing graft yield. This was higher for the pretreated fabrics grafted with Lipex. A higher color strength was obtained for grafted PET samples that were pretreated with Lipex when they were dyed in alkaline aqueous solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Solvent effects in the polyethylene terephthalate surface modification by cold argon plasma‐induced grafting polymerization of methacrylic acid

We studied the surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by grafting with methacrylic acid (MAA) through plasma‐induced polymerization method. The results show that the grafting yield increases with the increase of reaction temperature. The grafting yield is in proportion to the increase of monomer concentration. The grafting yield increases along with the prolonging of reaction time. The solvent has great influence to the grafting reaction. The grafting yield increases with the increase of volume ratio R, which is defined by the volume of water to the volume of alcohol, when using alcohol and water as mixed solvent. The grafting yield is not zero when only using methanol, ethanol or isopropanol as the solvent. The red shift in UV spectrum could be ascribed to different reactive activities of MAA in different solvents, which also can explain the change trend of the grafting yield. The UV‐vis absorbance difference and the FTIR integrated peak area of the C?O stretching increase steadily with the increase of grafting yield, which are almost linear relationship. It was confirmed that MAA was grafted onto the PET surface in terms of UV‐vis spectrophotometric, FTIR and atomic force microscopy analysis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Thermoresponsive surface prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization directly from poly(vinylidene fluoride) for control of cell adhesion and detachment

Thermoresponsive surface was prepared from commercial poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The direct initiation of the secondary fluorinated site of PVDF facilitated grafting of the N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) monomer. The PVDF surfaces grafted with poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) [P(NIPAAm)] were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Kinetics study revealed that the P(NIPAAm) chain growth from the PVDF surface was consistent with a “controlled” process. The temperature‐dependent swelling behavior of the surfaces in aqueous solution was studied by atomic force microscope. At 37°C [above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST, about 32°C) of NIPAAm], the seeded cells adhered and spread on the NIPAAm grafted PVDF surface. Below the LCST, the cells detached from the P(NIPAAm)‐grafted PVDF surface spontaneously. The thermoresponsive surfaces are potentially useful as stimuli‐responsive adhesion modifiers in the biomedical fields.© 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Graft copolymerisation of N‐vinyl pyrrolidone onto polypropylene copolymer in melt: Effect of grafting on thermomechanical properties and paint adhesion

N‐vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) was grafted onto a polypropylene copolymer (PP) in melt in a Brabender Plasticorder and single screw extruder. The effect of variation of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and lupersol (LUP) concentrations alone and with 20 wt % NVP concentration in the Brabender Plasticorder on Melt Flow Index (MFI) and final torque values was studied. Variation of NVP concentration (1–10 wt %) at a fixed DCP concentration on percent grafting (G) and MFI was also studied in the single screw extruder. The graft copolymers (PP‐g‐NVP) obtained by reaction of PP with NVP were soxhlet extracted with isopropanol to remove homopolymer, dried, and finally characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The PP‐g‐NVP (0–30 wt %) was used as an additive with PP, extruded in the single screw extruder, molded, and the mechanical properties and paint adhesion was measured. MFI values increased and torque values decreased with an increase in initiator concentration, indicating the dominance of the peroxide‐initiated scission reaction over grafting. DCP gave higher grafting compared to LUP. When NVP concentration was increased, MFI values increased initially due to more scission, and then decreased, indicating more graft copolymer formation. Mechanical properties increased by incorporation of PP‐g‐NVP as an additive than PP‐g‐NVP alone. Paint adhesion increased by the presence of PP‐g‐NVP as additive especially with polyurethane primer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2173–2180, 2003