Radiation grafting of glycidyl methacrylate and divinylbenzene onto polyethylene terephthalate fabrics for improving anti-dripping performance

• Anti-dripping PET fabric was prepared by radiation grafting GMA and DVB.
• Tensile strength and elongation of PET were improved after radiation grafting.
• The anti-dripping performance of PET was improved remarkably after radiation grafting.

A new kind of anti-dripping polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric was successfully prepared by simultaneous gamma radiation-induced grafting polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) onto the surface of PET fabrics. The grafting yield (GY) and anti-dripping effect were optimized by changing the total absorbed dose, dose rate, concentration and the feed ratio of GMA and DVB. The grafting yield increased with the increase of absorbed dose and GMA monomer concentration, and decreased with the dose rate. It is confirmed that PET fabrics had been modified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. The tensile strength and elongation at break of modified PET fabrics were improved compared with original PET fabrics. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of modified PET fabrics with the GY of 23–25% was 21.5, which was similar to that of unmodified PET fabrics. However, the anti-dripping performance of PET fabrics was improved remarkably after radiation modification due to the crosslinking of the sidechains grafted on the PET surface. This anti-dripping fabric may be promising for fire protective clothing.