Radiation grafting of 4-vinylpyridine onto poly-tetrafluoroethylene-perfluorovinylether (TFA) and poly-tetrafluoroethylene-polyethylene (ET) films

Preparation of membranes of poly-tetrafluoroethylene-perfluorovinylether (TFA) and poly-tetrafluoroethylene-polyethylene (ET) films grafted with 4-vinylpyridine using γ-rays has been carried out. The appropriate reaction conditions were selected. Furthermore, quaternization of the pyridine of the grafted chains was conducted. The effect of monomer concentration on the rate of grafting was also investigated. The order of the grafting rate gram per hour depending on monomer concentration was found to be 0.94 and 1.0 for TFA and ET films, respectively. Some selected properties of the grafted films such as swelling behavior, dimensional stability, mechanical and electrical properties were investigated. The grafted film of TFA and ET showed a marked decrease in elongation with a significant increase in the tensile strength. (author)