Chemical modification of keratin biofibres by graft polymerisation of methyl methacrylate using redox initiation

Graft copolymerisation of methyl methacrylate was carried out on keratin from chicken feathers. The chemical modification of the fibrous protein was achieved using a redox initiation system consisting of potassium permanganate, sulfuric acid and malic acid. To obtain optimum conditions of grafting, the effects of different concentrations of monomer, acids and oxidant system have been investigated. In addition natural and grafted fibres were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy to observe the chemical modification on keratin structure and the possible reactive sites involved in grafting. The morphologic variation was observed with scanning electron microscopy. The results show that an effective yield of grafting was achieved with this system depending on established reaction parameters.