Surface Modification of Polypropylene Fabrics by Acrylonitrile Cold Plasma

Abstract

Polypropylene fabrics were extracted with carbontetrachloride and acetone by Soxhlet extraction, and then PPAN ( plasma polymerized acrylonitrile ) was grafted to the surface of the extracted fabrics using a ground pressure of 0.05 mm Hg, 0.3 mm Hg pressure in the reactor, 60 W and 100 W RF power, and reaction times of 30 seconds, 1, 3, and 5 minutes. ESCA analysis was used to determine the ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen at a 20 Å sampling depth. IR and ATR-IR were used to obtain information on the structure of the grafted surface. Major differences were detected in the IR spectra of PPAN in comparison to PAN. The spectra of deposited polymers indicated the loss of —C≡N functional groups. Dehydrogenation and in tramolecular reorganization involving =C=N— and =C =C = also occurred, and as reaction time increased, the level of structural changes increased. Longer reaction periods and higher power resulted in increased deposition rates. Studying the water uptake and dyeability of PPAN revealed that higher treatment times lead to higher water uptake and K/S values. The nature of the substrate (Pyrex glass, KBr pellet, and polypropylene fabric) did not have a significant influence on the structure of deposited films.