Preirradiation grafting polymerization of DMAEMA onto cotton cellulose fabrics

The grafting yield of N,N ' -dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) on co tton cellulose fabric increased with grafting time, absorbed dose, and conc entration of the monomer in the aqueous solution, but decreased with grafti ng temperature. The dose rate had a small effect on the grafting yield. The optimal grafting yields of DMAEMA on cotton cellulose were rather low, app roximately 50% compared with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), although both monomers could be synthesized to be thermally reversible hydrogels. The rel ationship between the grafting yield and the grafting temperature indicated that the trapped radicals located in the interphases between crystalline a nd amorphous regions of irradiated samples were the main active species ind ucing the grafting reaction. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.