Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fiber by a redox system using ceric (IV) initiator was studied with regard to various parameters of importance: acrylic acid concentration, ceric (IV) concentration, nitric acid concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time. Based on the morphology of the PET fiber, it could be concluded that ceric (IV) in dilute nitric acid is a redox initiator for the surface graft copolymerization of the acrylic acid/PET system. The grafted PET fiber showed an increase in improved moisture regain to reach 900% at 39.5% graft yield. The dyeability with the basic dye and disperse dye significantly increased by 100 and 22%, respectively, as a result of the grafting onto PET fiber. Both tenacity and elongation gradually decreased by 51.2 and 28.9%, respectively, with increasing graft yield, which reduced the fiber service lifespan. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.