A new starch-based adhesive material containing diblock branches for sizing cotton and cotton/polyester

Abstract

A new starch macroinitiator (dibromopropyl etherified starch, DPES) with two active sites per dibromopropyl substituent, was successfully prepared and then conducted a two-step graft polymerization with EMA and AA, respectively, to prepare new grafted starch (DPES-g-poly(ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(acrylic acid), DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA) samples using the electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) technique in an aqueous medium. The DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA had excellent adhesion to cotton and cotton/polyester roving. As the grafting ratios increased from 0 to 9.346%, gradually promoted adhesion forces from 61.3 N to 76.8 N for cotton roving and from 91.2 N to 123.0 N for cotton/polyester roving were presented. In addition, the DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA possessed lower film crystallinity and brittleness as well as higher viscosity compared with ATS. Based on these results, the DPES-g-PEMA-b-PAA with a total grafting ratio of 9.346% was concluded as a new adhesive material in the application of sizing cotton and cotton/polyester warps.