Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on ceric-salt-initiated grafting of methyl methacrylate onto regenerated cellulose film

Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on ceric salt (Ce4+)-initiated grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) on regenerated cellulose film (thickness = 20 μm) was investigated under an air atmosphere in water solvent at 60°C. The grafting system with the ultrasonic irradiation was characterized by higher percentage of grafting and graft efficiency than the system without the irradiation. Reaction of cellulose with Ce4+ was also accelerated by the ultrasonic irradiation. No accelerating effect of grafting due to the ultrasonic irradiation was observed for the system under reduced pressure of 5 torr. The effect of the ultrasonic irradiation on the average molecular weight of MMA-grafted chains was also studied. Moreover, the surface layer of the resulting grafted films was examined by attenuated total reflection–infrared (ATR–IR) measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation.