Hydrophilization of PET wire mesh in paper manufacture by electron beam irradiation induced graft polymerization

We modified the poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) wire meshes with hydrophilic monomers by the electron beam irradiation induced graft-polymerization method to protect the PET meshes from pitch stain in papermaking process of recycled papers. Di-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with the hydroxyl group, acrylic acid (AA) with the carboxylic group, acrylamide with the amide group and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with the epoxide group were used for grafting onto the fiber surfaces of the PET meshes. Grafting efficiency and hydrophilic property were studied by means of grafting ratio and FTIR spectra and by contact angle of water, respectively. As a result, PET meshes di-hydroxylated after GMA grafting was found to show the most hydrophilic properties.