Study of thermal and dyeing behavior of isotactic polypropylene fiber graft copolymerized with acrylate monomers using preirradiation method

In an attempt to modify isotactic polypropylene (IPP) fiber, grafting of acrylate monomers such as methyl acrylate (MA) and ethyl acrylate (EA) onto IPP has been carried out by preirradiation method in aqueous medium. Percentage of grafting has been determined as a function of various reaction parameters. Rate of grafting (R_g) and induction period (I_p) have been evaluated as a function of total initial monomer concentration. Methyl acrylate was found to be more reactive than ethyl acrylate toward grafting. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that the thermal stability of polypropylene fiber is significantly improved upon grafting. While polypropylene fiber could not be dyed by crystal violet, the grafted fiber was dyed with crystal violet, and the dye uptake has been quantitatively determined by spectrometric method. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.