Surface functionalization of ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film with poly(methyl methacrylate) via chemical radical polymerization

The surface of a poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) film was modified by grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by using diethyl(1,10-phenanthroline N1,N10)zinc (Phen-DEZ) and oxygen molecules as the radical initiator. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and Raman spectra of polymethylmethacrylategrafted-ETFE (ETFE-g-PMMA), showed absorption peaks attributed to carbonyl functionalities. And the thermal decomposition of ETFE-g-PMMA was observed in two stages. The first weight loss step was due to the disruption of the grafted PMMA polymer, while the second degradation step was likely due to thermal disruption of ETFE itself. These results provide clear evidence of PMMA grafting onto ETFE film. The grafting yield of MMA was found to be affected by the polymerization temperature, reaction time, and concentration of Phen-DEZ. Analysis of the surface morphology of the film by atomic force microscopy (AFM) suggests that MMA was grafted on the surface of the ETFE film. In addition, the water contact angle on the hydrophobic surface of the ETFE film changed from 94.6 degrees to 65.5 degrees depending on the graft of PMMA, resulting in hydrophilicity. Moreover, the results of the dyeing experiment showed that only the surface of the ETFE film was decorated with MMA and the interior was unchanged.

Automated summary

In this study, the surface of a poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) film was modified by grafting methyl methacrylate (MMA), resulting in increased hydrophilicity. The grafting yield of MMA was found to be affected by reaction conditions, temperature, and initiator concentration. The results provide evidence of successful PMMA grafting onto the ETFE film surface, altering its surface properties.