WITHDRAWN: Modification of Natural Leather Properties via Grafting Polymerization of Glycidyl Methacrylate Monomer

Abstract

Chrome tanned leather was grafted by poly (glycidyl methacrylate) (L-g-PGMA) via emulsion polymerization technique and the grafting yield 26%. Epoxy content of the grafted leather samples was 69.4 mmol/100gm. The obtained L-g-PGMA samples were impregnated in different dibutyl amine solutions using amine/ epoxy molar ratio ranging from 0.5 up to 2.5. The obtained samples were assessed through varying nitrogen analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravemetric analysis (TGA) analysis and scanning electron microscope. It was found that the nitrogen content of the treated leather samples increases by increasing the dibutyl amine concentration up to amine/ epoxy molar ratio of 2 after which it decreases. The water absorption, tensile strength and elongation (%) as well as hardness of the modified leather samples were studied and compared with the unmodified one. The colour strength values of dyed leather samples with acid dye were found to increase by grafting or by increasing the amine/epoxy molar ratio up to a value of 1.0 after which it decreases. On the contrary, the colour strength value of dyed leather sample with reactive dye sharply decreases after grafting with poly (glycidyl methacrylate). Samples grafted with glycidyl methacrylate and treated with dibutylacrylate amine exhibit increased colour strength which is directly related to the nitrogen content of the sample.