JOURNAL OF MACROMOLECULAR SCIENCE-PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY, cilt.A33, sa.2, ss.191-202, 1996 (SCI-Expanded)
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers were grafted with methacrylic acid using azobisisobutyronitrile. The graft yield was observed to increase between 60 and 90 degrees C and reached 32% at 90 degrees C. An increase in monomer concentration increased the graft yield. The optimum concentration for initiator was found to be 3.0 x 10(-3) mol/L. Grafting decreased the density and increased the diameter of the fiber. Moisture regain and dyeabilities of the fibers with basic dyes increased due to -COOH groups introduced into the fiber structure through grafting. However, grafting resulted in a decrease in the decomposition temperatures of fibers. Micrographs revealed that the homogeneous appearance of the fiber surface changed with an increasing degree of grafting, and the surface took on a shell-like appearance at high graft yields.