Graft copolymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone onto pre-irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride) powder

Graft copolymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) onto 60Co γ-ray pre-irradiated poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) powder was investigated to find out the relationship between the degree of grafting (DG) and various factors, including monomer concentration, irradiation dose, reaction time, catalyst and so on. The DG can be calculated by comparing the amount of nitrogen element in the resulting copolymer (PVDF-g-PVP) powder with that in PVP on the basis of element analysis. The presence of PVP in the resulting PVDF powder was confirmed by the comparative studies of pristine PVDF and grafted PVDF powder through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. When the reaction was performed at the monomer concentration of 20% (vol.) and the absorbed dose of 40 kGy for 3 h in water, the max. DG of 17.7% was obtained. - Highlights: ► We modify pristine PVDF powders with NVP by the pre-irradiated graft polymerization. ► The various factors influencing the degree of grafting are investigated in detail. ► The optimal condition of graft polymerization is obtained. ► The polymerization is processed at 20% (vol.) of NVP and 40kGy for 3 hours in water. ► The maximum degree of grafting is 17.7 % at such a condition.