Photoinitiated polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate with cotton cellulose

Abstract

Unsensitized, photoinitiated polymerization reactions of glycidyl methacrylate from solutions of water and water–methanol with cotton cellulose fabrics were investigated. When several layers of cotton fabrics were immersed in solutions of glycidyl methacrylate and only the surface layer was exposed to light, polymerization reactions were initiated in this layer and also initiated in inner layers of fabrics, probably by chain transfer reactions. Photoinitiated (350 nm, 24 W, 34 min) polymerizations of glycidyl methacrylate (7.5 vol-%) from water (43 vol-%)–methanol (57 vol-%) with cotton fabrics in one-, three-, and six-layered configurations were: one-layered, 32% polymer; three-layered, 30%, 27%, and 25% polymer; and six-layered, 29%, 25%, 22%, 20%, 14%, and 11% polymer. Electron-microscopic examination of the distribution of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) within the cotton fibrous structure showed that polymer was distributed throughout the cross section of the fiber. At the surface of the fibers, the polymer tended to be more concentrated than within the cross section of the fibers and to encapsulate them. Photoinitiated polymerization reactivities of several vinyl monomers from solution with cotton cellulose fabrics were compared with those of glycidyl methacrylate as follows: methyl methacrylate > glycidyl methacrylate > diacetone acrylamide > 1,3-butylene dimethacrylate > methacrylic acid > acrylonitrile > divinylbenzene.