Abstract
The kinetics of graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate onto silk fibroin or wool keratin fibers in aqueous LiBr-K2S2O8 redox system was studied.
It was found that the grafting occurred by the radicalotoropy to the active centers of silk fibroin or wool keratin fibers from the radicals formed by the redox system, not by the chain transfer mechanism. From the experimental results at different temperatures, the activation energies for reaction steps were calculated. From these results, the thiol groups on wool keratin are considered to be predominantly in the center of grafting, but it is suggested that the grafting site of silk fibroin fibers differs from that of wool keratin fibers.
