Grafting Copolymerization of Cationic Vinyl Monomer with Quaternary Ammonium Groups onto Polypropylene

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Grafting polymerization was a valuable method for the modification of the chemical and physical properties of polymer surfaces. In this paper, the grafting of cationic vinyl monomer with quaternary ammonium groups, methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC), onto the isotactic polypropylene (iPP) granule was performed by suspension solid-state grafting process. The technique offers new opportunities in modification of polyolefins, which had the advantages of solventless, lower process temperature. The grafted PP was systematically characterized by using various analytic tools including FT-IR, DSC and TGA. The FT-IR spectra of the grafted iPP confirmed that DMC was successfully grafted onto the iPP backbone. The influences of the reaction parameters such as the concentration of DMC, the dose of styrene, initiator concentration, swelling time, reaction time, reaction temperature were investigated. The optimum condition for the grafting of DMC onto the iPP granules was obtained within the range studied. Furthermore, the results of TGA and the hydrophilicity measurement indicated that the thermal stability of the grafted iPP was enhanced remarkably, and the hydrophilicity was also enhanced due to the addition of hydrophilic quaternary ammonium groups. This research is worthwhile and it can be foreseen with a great prospect in the developing of anti-static and antiseptic materials.