Study of the influence of forming conditions on the properties of gel-fibers from copolymers of acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid

The aim of the work is to study the effect of the acid comonomer content and forming conditions on the dyeability of gel fibers based on copolymers of acrylonitrile (AN), methyl acrylate (MA) and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS). For this purpose, model copolymers AN, MA and AMPS were synthesized with an acid comonomer content in the monomer mixture from 0 to 2 % (wt.) by changing the proportion of MA. It has been established that the actual content of the acidic monomer in the fiber-forming copolymer is higher than expected based on the composition of the initial monomer mixture. Analysis of the dyeability of model samples of polyacrylonitrile fibers formed from synthesized copolymers by the dimethylformamide method with varying technological regimes showed that the amount of dye selected from the dye bath by the gel structure of the fibers is proportional to the content of the acid comonomer in the fiber-forming copolymer. The most significant decrease in the whiteness index (lightness) of the finished fibers is observed with an increase in the AMPS content in the copolymer from 0 to 0.7 % (wt.). Microscopy of model fibers was carried out. Based on the experimental data obtained in the course of the work, it was suggested that in order to achieve an acceptable intensity of dyeing and ensure a soft handle of polyacrylonitrile fibers, the optimal content of acid comonomer during the synthesis of fiber-forming copolymers based on AN, MA and AMPS should be in the range of 0.9 up to 1.3 % (of the mass of monomers in the reaction mixture).