Structure and Properties of Silk Grafted with N, N-Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate via the ARGET ATRP Method

Silk with antibacterial properties was grafted using dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) in water by the ATRP method. The structure and properties of silk-grafted-PDMAEMA (Silk-g-PDMAEMA) and quaternized grafted silk (Q-Silk-g-PDMAEMA) were investigated. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the grafting of DMAEMA and the quarternization. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements indicate that the thermal stability of Silk-g-PDMAEMA slightly increased compared with the control silk. X-ray diffraction (XRD) curves demonstrate that the crystalline structure of Silk-g-PDMAEMA remained unchanged regardless of the DMAEMA grafting. The Q-Silk-g-PDMAEMA had good antibacterial properties when exposed to both Staphylococcus aureu and Escherichia coli, and had good washing fastness. The breaking strength, whiteness and gas permeability of Silk-g-PDMAEMA slightly decreased, which had no effect on the intrinsic properties of silk fabric.