Plasma-Induced Graft Polymerization of Acrylic Acid onto Poly(propylene) Monofilament: Characterization

Poly(propylene) (PP) filaments were functionalized by plasma-grafting of acrylic acid and the characterization of the grafted filaments was carried out using various techniques. XPS content which causes a decrease in the analysis showed an increase in the oxygenated contact angle decreased from 88 for virgin PP to 28 for the filament with the maximum graft level. The storage of the samples leads to the loss in hydrophilicity. The grafts do not lead to any crystalline changes in the filament structure; significant changes however occur on the surface of the filaments as a function of the degree of grafting.