Abstract
Graft copolymerization of 2-Hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) on to chitosan was studied using cerium (IV) as the initiator. Optimization of the grafting was worked out by varying the reaction time and monomer concentration. Under controlled conditions, up to 685% grafting with a grafting yield of 92.4% was achieved. FTIR, thermal and XRD techniques were used to confirm the formation of the grafted copolymer. Grafting caused a marginal decrease in the mechanical strength in the dry conditions and a significant decrease under wet conditions for the resultant polymer. The products showed significantly improved swelling at pH 7.4 and pH 1.98 compared to the original chitosan. Grafted polymer showed enhanced Tg and decomposition temperature. The grafting also resulted in improved hydrophilicity as is evident from the contact angle studies of the films.
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