KINETICS OF RADIATION GRAFTING OF GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE AND VINYLBENZYL CHLORIDE ONTO POLYMER FIBERS

The kinetic of grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) monomers onto nylon-6 fibres using an electron beam was investigated in conjunction with reaction parameters namely, monomer concentration, absorbed dose and grafting temperature. The order of dependence of grafting rate of grafting parameters was determined by variation of r(p)0 with monomer concentration and absorbed dose. The reaction kinetics were represented by equations: dG(o)/dt = k[M-G](1.76)[D-G](1.03) and dG(o)/dt = k[M-V](1.21)[D-V](1.66) for grafting of GMA and VBC, respectively. The kinetics of the reaction in the two grafting systems was found to be controlled by the monomer concentration and absorbed dose. However, GMA grafting showed higher dependence on the monomer concentration whereas VBC grafting demonstrated higher dependence on the amount of trapped radicals, i.e., absorbed dose. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to provide evidence for the formation of graft copolymers in both of the grafting systems.