Grafting of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate from PE/PP nonwoven fabric via radiation-induced RAFT polymerization and quaternization of the grafts

•PDMAEMA was grafted from PE/PP nonwoven fabric via RAFT mediated grafting.•FTIR, SEM–EDX, XPS, elemental analysis and TGA were used for characterization.•Both grafted and quaternized materials showed activity against E. coli.

Radiation induced grafting method is one of the most promising grafting techniques and it works successfully together with the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, one of the most prominent controlled free-radical polymerization (CRP) methods. This study reports grafting of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) from the surface of polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric (PE/PP NWF) by the combination of radiation-induced initiation and the RAFT polymerization technique. Effects of monomer concentration, absorbed dose and solvent choice on the grafting yield have been investigated. The grafted NWF's were characterized by ATR–FTIR, XPS, SEM, EDX and thermal analysis methods. The results indicated that surface properties were completely altered after grafting compared to pristine PE/PP even for those with very low degree of PDMAEMA grafting. Free homopolymers in solution have been analyzed by GPC in order to obtain information about the grafts. The PDMAEMA grafts on the fabric surfaces were later quaternized with dimethyl sulfate to yield positively charged surfaces that were tested for antibacterial properties.