title: Hydrophobic modification of cellulose isolated from Agave angustifolia fibre by graft copolymerisation using methyl methacrylate.
abstract: Graft copolymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto Agave angustifolia was conducted with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as the redox initiator. The maximum grafting efficiency was observed at CAN and MMA concentrations of 0.91 × 10(-3) and 5.63 × 10(-2)M, respectively, at 45°C for 3h reaction time. Four characteristic peaks at 2995, 1738, 1440, and 845 cm(-1), attributed to PMMA, were found in the IR spectrum of grafted cellulose. The crystallinity index dropped from 0.74 to 0.46, while the thermal stability improved upon grafting. The water contact angle increased with grafting yield, indicating increased hydrophobicity of cellulose. SEM images showed the grafted cellulose to be enlarged and rougher. The changes in the physical nature of PMMA-grafted cellulose can be attributed to the PMMA grafting in the amorphous regions of cellulose, causing it to expand at the expense of the crystalline component.
authors: School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors: Noor Afizah
authors: NA
authors: Rosli
authors: School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: gading@ukm.edu.my.
authors: Ishak
authors: I
authors: Ahmad
authors: School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors: Ibrahim
authors: I
authors: Abdullah
authors: School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors: Farah Hannan
authors: FH
authors: Anuar
authors: School of Applied Physic, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors: Faizal
authors: F
authors: Mohamed
mesh_terms: D027882:Agave / Q000737:chemistry*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry*; D002563:Cerium / Q000737:chemistry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D020366:Methylmethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D044367:Phase Transition; D058105:Polymerization
chemical_list: D020366:Methylmethacrylate; D002563:Cerium; D002482:Cellulose; C004653:ceric ammonium nitrate
keywords: Cellulose; Free radical; Graft copolymerization; Hydrophobic; Methyl methacrylate