Preparation of thermosensitive membranes by radiation grafting of acrylic acid/N-isopropyl acrylamide binary mixture on PET fabric

Thermosensitive membranes were prepared by radiation-induced graft copolymerization of monomers on PET fabrics. A binary mixture of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) and acrylic acid (AA) was grafted on polyester fabric as a base material to introduce thermosensitive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) pendant chains having LCST slightly higher than 37 °C in the membrane. The influence of ferrous sulfate, radiation dose and monomer composition on the degree of grafting was studied. The structure of the grafted fabric was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The thermosensitive nature of the fabric was monitored by swelling at different temperatures. The graft copolymerization of AA with NIPAAm enhanced the LCST of the resultant membrane to ∼37 °C. The moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) and air permeability of the fabric decreased slightly, may be due to the slight blocking of the fabric pores. The immobilization of tetracycline hydrochloride as the model drug and its release characteristics at different temperatures were monitored.