Nylon 6 water‐permeable membranes prepared by electron beam radiation‐induced graft copolymerization

Abstract

Abstract Nylon 6 films, 25 μm thick, were grafted with polar monomers in aqueous solution following preirradiation with a 550‐kV electron beam accelerator. The graft yield rose linearly with grafting period up to 100% graft and leveled off at a graft yield above 150%. At 100 to 200% graft of several acrylic acid derivatives onto the nylon 6 films, water permeation rates comparable to those of PVA and cellophane films were observed. These high water permeation rates of the grafted nylon films were considered as an indication that some of the acrylate copolymers penetrated throughout the matrix of the host polymer. The highest rates of water permeability were observed in nylon acrylamide grafts.