Enhancing oil-sorption performance of polypropylene fiber by surface modification via UV-induced graft polymerization of butyl acrylate

In order to improve oil sorption performances, polypropylene (PP) fiber was modified through graft polymerization with butyl acrylate (BA) initiated by ultraviolet (UV) radiation in isopropanol/water mixture solution. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and specific surface area were used to characterize the chemical and morphological changes of the PP fiber surface. Static contact angle (CA) measurements showed that the hydrophilicity of original PP fiber was enhanced after graft polymerization. The grafted fiber exhibited an excellent oil-sorption, oil-retention performance, fast saturation-sorption rate and superior reusability of oil. When the grafting degree was 15.55%, the maximum oil-sorption capacity reached 18.35 g/g, while the oil-sorption capacity of original PP fiber was only 11.54 g/g. After the tenth cycle of reuse, the grafted fiber sorbent assembly only lost 30% of its virgin sorption capacity.