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Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.78, No.6, 1171-1178, 2000
Functionalization of poly(tetrafluoroethylene-co-ethylene) film by radiation-induced craft copolymerization
To introduce functional moieties to Tefzel film, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene, graft copolymerization of vinyl monomers such as acrylonitrile (AN) and methacrylonitrile (MAN) was attempted by a preirradiation method in aqueous medium. Optimum conditions for obtaining the maximum percentage of grafting have been evaluated for both monomers. Maximum grafting of AN (52.2%) and MAN (77.7%) is obtained at a total dose of 3.14 and 2.69 x 10(4) Gy, respectively, using [AN] = 3.018 mol/L and [MAN] = 1.177 mol/L in 10 mL of water. The effect of aliphatic alcohols of varying chain length, such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, and cyclohexanol, on percentage add-on of AN and MAN has also been studied. It has been found that all the alcohols decreased the percentage of grafting. Characterization of Tefzel and grafted Tefzel films has been carried out by IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Grafted Tefzel film has been found to have improved thermal resistance.
Keywords:functionalization;Tefzel;acrylonitrile;methacrylonitrile;alcohols;thermogravimetric analysis