Radiation grafting of oligo(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate on polypropylene

• Irradiation was used to obtain polypropylene grafted by thermosensitive polymer.
• Formation of thermosensitive layer was indicated by FT-IR and contact angle.
• Grafting degree can be controlled by dose, monomer concentration and reaction time.
• Thermosensitive layers may find application as substrates for skin cell culturing.

Oligo(ethylene glycol) ethyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) can be grafted onto polypropylene (PP) films by post-irradiation grafting, forming a thermosensitive polymer layer, as indicated by FT-IR and contact angle measurements. In the first step, PP foils are irradiated by electron beam (5.5 kGy/min, up to 300 kGy) in the presence of air. Subsequently, the irradiated foils react with the monomer in oxygen-free solutions in isopropanol (up to 2 M of monomer) at 70 °C. Degree of grafting of OEGMA can be controlled by proper selection of absorbed dose, monomer concentration and reaction time. This work is a part of a broader project on thermosensitive materials facilitating cell growth and detachment for optimizing cell layer engineering techniques in the treatment of burn wounds.