Various fibers (cotton, rayon, polyvinyl alcohol, nylon, polyvinyl chloride and polyseter fibers) which have imbibed solutions of radical initiators (ammonium persulphate, hydrogen peroxide, α, α′-azo-bisisobutyronitrile [AIBN] and benzoyl peroxide [BPO]) were heated with methyl methacrylate or methyl acrylate for graft polymerization. Water, aqueous methanol, benzene and a benzene-petroleum benzine mixture were used as solvents of catatyst, and the monomers were applied without solvent or as solutions whereby methanol, ethyl acetate and benzene being used as solvents. The polymerization was carried out at 60 to 90°C in the presence of air in sealed tubes.
The graft polymerization proceeded smoothly onto cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol and nylon fibers, but with difficulty onto polyvinyl chloride and polyester fibers. In general, ammonium persulphate and hydrogen peroxide were more effective than AIBN and BPO as initiators of the grafting. The grafting tendencies of various monomers were in order of styrene>methyl methacrylate>methyl acrylate>acrylonitrile>vinyl acetate. The result may be interpreted from the viewpoint of reactivites of monomers and resulted polymeric radicals.