In-situ Polymerization of Maleic Acid and Itaconic Acid on Cotton: MALDI/TOF Mass Spectroscopy and Light-Scattering Study

Neither maleic acid (MA) nor itaconic acid (ITA) polymerize under conditions normally used for vinyl monomers. The literature reports that treating cotton fabric with a mixture of MA and ITA significantly improves its wrinkle resistance. In our previous research, we used FRIR spectroscopy to study cotton fabric treated with ITA and MA, and found that free radical polymerization of MA and ITA takes place on cotton at elevated temperatures when both potassium persulfate and sodium hypophosphite are present. In this research, we remove the copolymer of MA and ITA from the treated cotton with alkaline hydrolysis, and apply time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectroscopy with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ioniza tion (MALDI) and a multiple angle laser light scattering (MALLS) photometer to determine the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the copolymer. The MALDI/TOF mass spectroscopy and MALLS data confirm that in-situ copolymerization of MA and ITA takes place on the cotton. The molecular weight of the copolymer is in the approximate range of 2000-3000.