Production of sorption-active polypropylene fiber by radiation-induce grafting of glycidyl methacrylate as a precursor monomer

Two types of sorption-active polypropylene fiber carrying strong-acid sulfonate groups and amino groups have been synthesized by radiation-induced graft polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with subsequent chemical modification of the epoxy groups of poly-GMA graft chains. The effect of various polymerization parameters on the GMA grafting degree was investigated in detail. The epoxy ring-opening of poly-GMA graft chains with introduction of strong-acid sulfonate groups was carried out with sodium hydrogen sulfite in water-dimethylformamide solution at 70oC. The main peculiarities of the sulfonation reaction in depending on the reaction time and GMA grafting degree have been investigated. It was shown that for the samples with GMA grafting degree more than 50% two simultaneous processes take place during the sulfonation reaction, namely the incorporation of the sulfonate groups via opening of the GMA epoxy-rings as well as hydrolysis of the GMA epoxy-rings with the formation of α-glycol groups. Amine groups were incorporated by treatment of GMA-grafted polypropylene fibers with excess of diethylene triamine reagent. The conversion of the epoxy groups into the functional groups was investigated as a function of the degree of GMA grafting and reaction time. The ion-exchange characteristics of obtained sorption-active polypropylene fibers were determined. (author)