Superficial Acid-Base Properties of Polymer Fibres

Abstract

Protolytic properties of fine fibre plastics based on polypropylene, polyethyleneterephthalate and polycarbonate were investigated. Acidic (carboxylic, hydroxyl) and basic Lewis sites (esters, carbonates, epoxies) were discovered on fibres surface using IR spectroscopy. The number of active groups of various nature and their pKa values were evaluated by potentiometric titration in aqueous and non-aqueous media. The tested fibres possess a low capacity for both acidic and basic sites on it. The results indicate that all the polymer fibre materials (PFM) due to the presence of carboxyl groups on the surfaces, enable modification of their surfaces with metal nanoparticles, thereby giving them unique properties, e.g., photocatalytic and bactericidal.