Electrokinetic properties of polypropylene textile fabrics containing deposited layers of polyelectrolytes

Polyelectrolytes such as poly(acrylic acid) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) with opposite charges have been deposited on a polypropylene textiles by the layer-by-layer technique. The first acidic layer was produced by grafting of acrylic acid onto the surface according to the previously established procedure. The surface properties of the new materials have been studied by electrokinetic analysis. It has been found that there is a strict relationship between the type of polyelectrolyte layer deposited on a fabric surface and the electrokinetic properties of this fabric. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that the deposition of succeeding polyelectrolyte layers fails to provide a complete coverage of the modified surface. It has been also found that the result of zeta-potential measurement is not affected by the molecular weight of polyelectrolyte and the value of electrokinetic potential depends exclusively on the type of the top layer rather than on the substrate, on which the layer is deposited.