AbstractGraft copolymerization of methacrylic acid onto polypropylene fibers by simultaneous‐gamma ray irradiation technique was carried out. The effect of various solvents on grafting was studied. The results have been presented in terms of swelling behavior of polypropylene fiber and the extent of homopolymerization. An accelerative effect upon the rate of grafting was observed when benzene was partly replaced by methanol. At the dose rate of 24 rad/s and monomer concentration of 3 mol/L, a maximum in the rate of grafting was observed with 40 methanol fraction in the benzene–methanol mixture. However, a further increase in the methanol fraction in the solvent mixture resulted in a sharp decrease in the rate of grafting. No grafting was observed in pure methanol. This behavior has been explained in terms of the inhibitory action of methanol for polymerization of methacrylic acid and the extent of swelling of polypropylene fiber in various compositions of benzene–methanol mi
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