Reactivity of glycidyl-methacrylate-grafted cellulose prepared by means of photografting

Photografting was applied to functionalize cellulose, that is, epoxy groups were introduced into the cellulose substrate by photografting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) using hydrogen peroxide as a photoinitiator. Dissolving pulp from softwoods was used as the cellulose sample. The GMA-grafted cellulose (G-Cell) was subjected to the following examinations in comparision with epoxy-activated cellulose (E-Cell) prepared by reaction with epichlorohydrin: (1) reactivity of G-Cell towards amines such as ethylenediamine, tetramethylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, and triethylenetetramine; (2) ability of the aminated celluloses obtained by examination (1) to adsorb cupric ion; and (3) catalytic activity of the aminated cellulose–cupric ion complexes prepared by examination (2) for decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The amount of amine residue introduced into the substrate was higher for E-Cell than G-Cell, showing the existence of epoxy groups in G-Cell which cannot contribute to the reaction. The ability of the aminated celluloses to adsorb cupric ion was nearly equal for G-Cell and E-Cell though tetramethylenediamine and hexamethylenediamine-introduced samples did not show the ability. It was found that all complexes prepared by reaction of the aminated cellulose with cupric ion exhibited catalytic activity for decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.