Activation of solid polymer surfaces with bifunctional reagents

An original procedure is described which calls upon the heterogeneous grafting of bifunctional molecules onto a reactive polymeric surface, leaving one of the functions available for further exploitation. The principle of this strategy is to use reagents characterised by a rigid planar structure bearing the two active moieties at opposite sites of the molecule. The examples provided include the reactions of lignocellulosic fibres with 1,4‐phenyl diisocyanate and 1,2,4,5‐benzenetetracarboxylic anhydride, which give rise to their surface activation through the incorporation of covalently bound isocyanate or anhydride functions. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry