Abstract

Md. Ibrahim H. Mondal*  and Md. Mashiur Rahman Khan

The physico-chemical properties of silk fibre can be improved by using acid anhydride monomers, e.g. phthalic anhydride and succinic anhydride in presence of potassium peroxodisulfate (K2S2O8) as an initiator. The anhydride monomer was added to silk fibre by graft-copolymerization that was followed by using the parameters, i.e. monomer concentration, initiator concentration, modification time and modification temperature. The graft yield increased with the increase of monomer concentration from 20 to 90% and initiator concentration from 0.2 to 1.8% and then it decreased. Time and temperature also had great influenced on the rate of reaction and maximum graft yield was obtained upto 90 oC within 2.5 h. The graft yield at optimized condition was 16.6% for phthalic anhydride and 14% succinic anhydride.  The effect of various external influences such as temperature and sunlight on degummed and modified silk fibres was also observed. The loss in tenacity of degummed silk is comparatively higher than that of modified silk fibre. The dyeing characteristics as well as fastness properties of modified silk is better than that of degummed one.

Silk fibre; acid anhydride monomers; grafting; tenacity; colour fastness

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