Study of plasma-induced graft polymerization of stearyl methacrylate on cotton fabric substrates

A simple and facile method to prepare the cotton fabric with hydrophobicity was described in the present work. In the one-step process, the cotton fabric pre-impregnated with the monomer solution of stearyl methacrylate (SMA) was placed in the plasma chamber and followed by glow discharge of the Helium low temperature plasma. The cotton fabrics before and after the plasma treatment were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), infrared spectroscopic analysis (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. The wettability of the cotton fabrics was evaluated by contact angle measurement. Fabric Hand Values and mechanical properties were also measured in the experiment. The results showed that polymer films could be coated on the cotton fibers through the plasma induced grafting polymerization of SMA. The modified cotton fabrics exhibited an extraordinary hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 149 degrees for a 5 mu L water droplet and excellent thermal stability. The relative hand value and mechanical breaking strength of the cotton fabrics declined slightly after graft polymerization of SMA by the plasma. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.