Gamma radiation-induced graft copolymerization of styrene onto poly(eth- ylene terephthalate) (PET) films was studied using simultaneous irradiation technique. The effects of grafting conditions on the degree of grafting were investigated. The grafting conditions include monomer concentration, irradiation dose, dose rate, and the type of solvent. Moreover, the effect of the addition of crosslinking agents (i.e., divinyl- benzene (DVB) and triallyl cyanurate (TAC)) having various concentrations were also investigated. The degree of grafting was found to be greatly dependent on the grafting conditions. Of the three diluents employed, methylene chloride was found to drastically enhance the degree of grafting. The order of dependence of the initial rate of grafting on the monomer concentration was found to be 2.2. The grafted PET films were identified by FTIR spectroscopy and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). © 2000 John Wiley &

Gamma radiation-induced graft copolymerization of styrene onto poly(ethyleneterephthalate) films

Polyester monofilaments were grafted with methacrylic acid monomer in order to improve the water absorption and dye uptake characteristics. Kinetic parameters like percent grafting and grafting efficiency were measured as a function of concentration of monomer, initiator concentration, time of reaction, and temperature. The results show that the rate of grafting is proportional to the 0.167 power of the monomer concentration and the 0.545 power of the initiator concentration. The activation energy for grafting, calculated from an Arrhenius plot, was found to be 11.12 kcal˙mol−1. Water absorption and dye uptake were tremendously improved by grafting.

Grafting of Polyester Fibers

Grafting to achieve flame retardancy

Structural investigations of poly(ethylene terephthalate)-graft-polystyrene (PET-g-PS) films prepared by radiation-induced grafting of styrene onto commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films were carried out by FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The variation in the degree of crystallinity and the thermal characteristics of PET films was correlated with the amount of polystyrene grafted therein (i.e., the degree of grafting). The heat of melting was found to be a function of PET crystalline fraction in the grafted films. The grafting is found to take place by incorporation of amorphous polystyrene grafts in the entire noncrystalline (amorphous) region of the PET films and at the surface of the crystallites. This results in a decrease in the degree of crystallinity with the increase in the degree of grafting, attributed to the dilution of PET crystalline structure with the amorphous polystyrene, without almost any disruption in the inherent crystallinity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 1949–1955, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10515

Structural investigations of poly(ethylene terephthalate)‐graft‐polystyrene copolymer films

This symposium is being organized by MST Conferences under the direction of Dr. K. L. Mittal, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology(JAST). Presenting authors are invited to submit their papers for publication in the Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology. Please notify the conference chairman of your intentions to present a paper as early as possible. An abstract of about 200 words should be sent by January 15, 2011 to the conference chairman by any of the following methods:

M. H. Rao

Papers

Radiation induced grafting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid on to polyester(terylene) fibers