Grafting vinyl monomers onto silk fibers: Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto silk using acetylacetonate Mn(III) complex

The graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto Mulberry silk fibers was studied in aqueous solution using Mn(acac)₃ as initiator. Perchloric acid was found to catalyze the reaction. The rate of grafting was investigated by varying the concentration of the monomer and the complex, acidity of the medium, the solvent composition of the reaction medium, the surfactants, and the inhibitors. The graft yield increases with increasing concentration of Mn(acac)₃ up to 0.01 mol/L, decreasing thereafter. Increase of MMA concentration up to 0.56 mol/L increases graft yield, and thereafter it decreases. Among the various vinyl monomers studied, MMA was found to be most suitable for grafting. Grafting increases up to 7.5 × 10^?3 mol/L of HClO₄ concentration, and thereafter it decreases. A suitable reaction scheme has been proposed and a rate equation has been derived. The energy of activation has been calculated from the Arrhenius plot. The chain transfer constants for various chain transfer solvents have been evaluated from the average molecular weight (M?) of grafted poly(methyl methacrylate).