Double Plasma Treatment-Induced Graft Polymerization of Carbohydrated Monomers on Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Fibers

Abstract

This study deals with the grafting of carbohydrate monomers on poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers by double argon plasma treatment. Two monomers were used: allyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside and 2-methacryloxyethyl glucoside. The quantity of grafted carbohydrates was determined by phenol/sulfuric acid colorimetric titration. The graft density was observed to vary according to the monomer used. Allyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside yields to smaller graft densities compared to 2-methacryloxyethyl glucoside, suggesting transfer reactions occurring at the surface with allyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside. Fibers with the highest graft levels were obtained with the higher monomer concentration and the lower quantity of fiber treated in a plasma reactor. The grafting density can be modulated by the monomer concentration and mass of fiber exposed in the plasma reactor. For 0.5 mg of fibers, the graft densities for 23 and 68 mM allyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside are, respectively, 18 and 35 nmol/cm2. For 0.5 mg of fibers, the graft densities for 19 and 38 mM 2-methacryloxyethyl glucoside are, respectively, 150 and 250 nmol/cm2. Comparative study without the preactivation treatment shows the efficiency of the preactivation: for a mass of fiber of 0.5 mg and a 2-methacryloxyethyl glucoside concentration of 38 mM, the grafting density without plasma pretreatment is 38 nmol/cm2. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed the anchoring of the glycopolymer onto the poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy pictures indicated their morphological changes.

Feasibility of Plasma Technology Utilization in Concrete Industry

“…The only research subject which encompasses the both topics of plasma and concrete is the application of plasma in order to increase the bond forces between the cement matrix and polymeric fibers. In these groups of researches [5][6][7][8][9] different plasma techniques are used on polymeric fibers with the application of various gases during the treatment. The results show enhancement in flexural and tensile strengths and improvement in toughness of the treated samples [5,10].…”

Smart biomaterials: the contribution of glycoscience

“…Two different approaches of the plasma grafting have been used with the final aim of introducing carbohydrates on the surface of different polymers. Bech and coworkers 85 described an interesting procedure to use the plasma grafting method in order to functionalize poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) fiber surfaces with monosaccharides. PET is often used in biomedical material as cardiovascular implants, artificial blood vessels, and in other applications due to its excellent mechanical properties and fair biocompatibility.…”

Antibacterial surfaces obtained through dopamine and fluorination functionalizations

“…Recently, we have published different methods to modify poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces as films and fibers. The techniques used were plasma treatment [4,5], covalently grafting of biomolecules by reductive amination [6], "grafting from" by controlled radical polymerization [7] and grafting of UV-reactive molecule [8].…”