Radical grafting from carbon fiber surface: graft polymerization of vinyl monomers initiated by azo groups introduced onto the surface

Abstract

This paper describes the radical graft polymerizations of vinyl monomers from carbon fiber surface initiated by azo groups introduced onto the fiber surface. The carbon fiber used in this experiment was the polyacrylonitrile type. The introduction of azo groups onto the carbon fiber surface was achieved by the reaction of 4,4'-azobis (4-cyanopentanoic acid) with isocyanate groups which were previously attached onto the surface by the treatment of the fiber with tolylene 2,4-diisocyanate. The amount of surface azo groups introduced onto nitric acid-treated carbon fiber was determined to be 0.60 x 10-5 mol 9-1 by nitrogen analysis. The radical graft polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was tried. Though the thermal polymerization of MMA proceeded slightly in the absence or in the presence of untreated carbon fiber, the rate of the polymerization was considerably low. In contrast, the graft polymerization of MMA was initiated in the presence of the carbon fiber having surface azo groups, and part of r...