Surface Modification of Fibers

Kenaf originates mostly from Iraq, Tanzania, Jamaica, South Africa, Cuba and Togo. Kenaf fiber is extracted from bark of the kenaf tree. The fibers extracted both from the bast and the core of the bark (25). Some properties of kenaf fibers are shown in Table 3.3. Kenaf fibers can be used in both thermoplastic and thermoset resins for reinforcement. 

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Minko, S., Motomov, M., 2007. Hybrid polymer nanolayers for surface modification of fibers. In Brown, P.J., Stevens, K. (Eds.), Nanofibers and Nanotechnology in Textiles. Woodhead Publishing Ltd CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL, Boston, MA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, USA, Cambridge, UK, pp. 470—492. 

Prior to surface modification, raw fibers were cut into 3 mm size with the help of mechanical chopper. Further surface modification of fibers was carried ont through different chemical methods at optimized parameters as per methods reported earlier [18,19]. The various surface modification processes nsed were as follows. 

Wakida, T. and Tokino, S. (1995) Surface modification of fiber and polymeric materials by discharge treatment and its application to textile processing. Ind. J. Fiber Text. Res., 21, 69-79. 

In this chapter, a series of recent results in surface modification of various surfaces employing the macromolecular anchoring layer approach was overviewed. It was demonstrated that the approach could be used as a virtually universal method for grafting of functional polymer brushes. The properties of the bmshes can be controlled by polymer nature, structural and morphological factors, and external stimuli. The polymer grafting technique developed can be readily applied to surface modification of fibers and textiles, leading to generation of hydrophobic, hydrophilic and switchable fibrous materials. 

Hybrid polymer nanolayers for surface modification of fibers... 

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