Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) bond to surfaces by applying a light pressure, and must be soft and tacky which requires the glass transition temperature (Tg) below −20 °C. Performance characterization is done via adhesion and cohesion. Achievement of high adhesion and high cohesion together is a challenge for PSA applications. In this study, a series of PSAs with different monomer compositions were prepared using emulsion polymerization to … Continue reading Synthesis of Poly(BA-co-MMA) Dispersions having AA/MAA/AAm/MAAm Comonomers and The Comparison of Their Effect on Adhesive Performance

The influence of butyl acrylate (BA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) on hydroxyl functionalized latexes was investigated. The hydrophobicity of the monomer feed was varied via the BA/MMA ratio. In addition to monitoring the effect of hydrophobic monomer feed on secondary nucleation, the polymerization kinetics and final latex properties were also obtained for comparison. Five different BA to MMA molar ratios were combined with five 2-hydroxyethyl … Continue reading Influence of Hydrophobic Monomers on Secondary Nucleation of Hydroxyl-functionalized Latexes

A convenient and industrially scalable method for synthesis of homogeneous nanocomposite films comprising poly(styrene-stat-butyl acrylate) and nanodimensional graphene oxide (GO) or reduced GO (rGO) is presented. Importantly, the nanocomposite latex undergoes film formation at ambient temperature, thus alleviating any need for high temperature or high pressure methods such as compression molding. The method entails synthesis of an aqueous nanocomposite latex via miniemulsion copolymerization relying on … Continue reading Formation of Homogeneous Nanocomposite Films at Ambient Temperature via Miniemulsion Polymerization using Graphene Oxide as Surfactant

Polysiloxane/polyacrylate (PSi/PA) core/shell latexes are fabricated, and the particle morphology, the film structure, as well as the properties of the latex films are investigated by comparing with blend latexes, and the relationship between structure and property is proposed. Results indicate that the structure and property of the latex films heavily depend on the particle morphology. The sea–island latex films with uniform distribution of PSi phases … Continue reading Polysiloxane/Polyacrylate Composite Latexes with Balanced Mechanical Property and Breathability

Poly(styrene-co-methyl methacrylate) (poly(St-co-MMA))/SiO2 nanocomposite particles (NCPs) were prepared through miniemulsion polymerization by using polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (commercial name: Tween-20) as the sole surfactant. The number fraction of poly(St-co-MMA)/SiO2 NCPs in the as-synthesized emulsion could exceed 90% in some well-designed systems, indicative of high efficiency of poly(St-co-MMA)/SiO2 NCP formation. Each poly(St-co-MMA)/SiO2 NCP contained many SiO2 NPs, thus exhibiting a high composite efficiency between the poly(St-co-MMA) … Continue reading Efficient Preparation and Formation Mechanism of Polymer/SiO2 Nanocomposite Particles in Miniemulsions

Latex nanocomposites with encapsulated inorganic particles have wide ranging applications as paints, cosmetics, antibacterial agents, etc. In this work, we report the encapsulation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles into a polymer latex, achieved by dispersing the inorganic particles first in the aqueous phase under acidic conditions, followed by miniemulsion polymerization. This method avoids environmental issues associated with the conventional approach of dispersing the inorganic particles in … Continue reading Synthesis and Characterization of Titanium Dioxide Encapsulated Poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate-co-acrylic acid) Nanocomposite Latex

Water-borne polymeric dispersions of superhydrophobic monomers can be catalogued as high performance materials, particularly towards applications involving excellent water-barrier properties. Their industrial production however is challenging due to their low water solubility. This work illustrates the polymerization of superhydrophobic monomers lauryl methacrylate and isobornyl acrylate in aqueous media, while avoiding the use of energy intensive procedures and keeping particle sizes and surfactant concentrations relatively low, … Continue reading Towards The Production of High Performance Lauryl Methacrylate based Polymers Through Emulsion Polymerization

Fluoro-silicone modified polyacrylate latex was successfully prepared by semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization in the presence of a green mixed emulsifier consisting of cashew phenol polyoxyethylene ether sulfonate (BCE-10B) anionic surfactant and alkyl polyglycoside (APG) nonionic surfactant, in which the mixed monomers were initiated with potassium persulfate (KPS). The structure and properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis … Continue reading Fluoro-silicone Modified Polyacrylate Latex Emulsified with Green Surfactants

Super-hydrophilic polyacrylate nanocomposite latex was prepared by emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) with modified nano-silica and hydrogenated tallow montmorillonite (MMT) clay. Modification of nanoparticles were carried out using vinyl trimethoxysilane (VTMS) coupling agent. The nanoparticle loading was maintained constant at 0.5% of total formulation while changing the ratio of nano-silica to nano-clay. The modification of the nanoparticles were investigated using … Continue reading Scalable Super-hydrophilic Nanocomposite Latex with Self-cleaning Action

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) combined with surfactants were used to stabilize miniemulsion polymerization reactions. Anionic CNCs with H+ and Na+ counterions and cationic-modified CNCs were investigated with anionic and cationic surfactants. When oppositely charged CNCs and surfactants were mixed, CNC size increased and absolute zeta-potential decreased, indicating surfactant adsorption and the ability to costabilize the monomer/water interface. Colloid-probe atomic force microscopy showed that surfactant adsorption to … Continue reading Tailoring Cellulose Nanocrystal and Surfactant Behavior in Miniemulsion Polymerization

A urethane methacrylate monomer, 2-[(butylcarbamoyl)oxy]ethyl methacrylate (BEM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) were used to prepare latexes. The effects of polymer process (batch versus semi-batch), polymer composition, and the locus (core-shell) of urethane functionality in the latex particles were studied. Urethane functional latexes were evaluated by FT-IR, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (SS-NMR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), gas chromatography (GC), differential scanning calorimetry … Continue reading Investigation of a Non-isocyanate Urethane Functional Monomer in Latex by Emulsion Polymerization

The polyacrylate latex containing fluorine and silicon were successfully synthesized by semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization in the presence of the mixed emulsifier of novel sodium lauroyl glutamate (SLG) anion surfactant and BCE-10 nonionic surfactant, which methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) were used as main monomers and hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFMA) and vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) were used as the functional monomers. Potassium persulfate (KPS) was used … Continue reading Polyacrylate Latex Containing Fluorine and Silicon via Semi-continuous Seeded Emulsion Polymerization

Reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer miniemulsion (co)polymerizations of vinyl acetate (VAc) and vinyl chloride (VC) are conducted in the presence of a fluorinated xthanate (X1). VAc miniemulsion polymerization can be well controlled by X1, and PVAc with small polydispersity index (PDI, <1.20) are obtained. X1 also shows well mediative effect to VC-VAc miniemulsion copolymerization, while the PDI of VC-VAc copolymer is greater than that of PVAc … Continue reading Synthesis of random and block copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate by RAFT miniemulsion polymerizations mediated by a fluorinated xanthate

Waterborne acrylic–cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) nanocomposite latexes have been successfully synthesized via one-pot miniemulsion polymerization. A cationic copolymer and a low amount of anionic surfactant were used to promote the stabilization process and prevent the aggregation during storage. The effect of the CNFs content and the amount of added copolymer on the particle size and the stability of the dispersion were studied. Evidence of the binding … Continue reading Waterborne Acrylic–Cellulose Nanofibrils Nanocomposite Latexes via Miniemulsion Polymerization

Surfactant-free high solids waterborne polymer dispersions were produced under industrial-like semicontinuous conditions by substituting traditional emulsifiers with stabilizing moieties in situ production from a pH and temperature insensitive ionic monomer (sodium styrene sulfonate, NaSS). Copolymerization between NaSS and comonomers occurred through a mechanism that involves solution polymerization in the aqueous phase and compartmentalized polymerization in a shell created around the particles. This knowledge allowed the … Continue reading Surfactant-free High Solids Content Polymer Dispersions

Fluorinated acrylate emulsions have been extensively applied for hydrophobic surface coatings. To obtain fluorinated emulsions of low surface energy, amphiphilic sulfonyl macro emulsifiers consisting of 2-(perfluorohexyl) ethyl acrylate (PFHEA) and 2-acrylanmido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) were designed via radical polymerization and subsequently used for the emulsion copolymerization of PFHEA, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and methyl butyl acrylate (MBA). Under optimum synthesis conditions, the emulsifier displayed superior emulsification properties … Continue reading Synthesis of sulfonyl fluorinated macro emulsifier for low surface energy emulsion polymerization application

Polysilsesquioxane–fluoroacrylate copolymer [poly(methyl methacrylate)–butyl acrylate–dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate)] (FPSQ) composite latex particles with a trilayer core–shell morphology were manufactured by seeded emulsion polymerization, where PSQ latex particles bearing reactive methacryloxypropyl moieties were first produced by the hydrolysis-condensation of (3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, and then they were utilized as seeds, with methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, and dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate as the inner and outer shell monomers. Fourier-transform infrared spectra and 1H-NMR confirm … Continue reading Preparation and characterization of trilayer core–shell polysilsesquioxane–fluoroacrylate copolymer composite emulsion particles

This work presents the synthesis of corrosion inhibitor [1H-benzotriazole (BTA)]-loaded hollow silica nanocapsules with magnesium hydroxide precipitate in the shells (HSNs-M/BTA) through inverse microemulsion (W/O) polymerization. TEM and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements indicate that the silica nanocapsules possess voids in the inner part and mesoporous on the surface. The actual loading capacity of BTA is 287.17 mg (BTA)/1 g (HSNs-M/BTA). The results of UV absorption spectra show that … Continue reading A Smart Anticorrosion Coating based on Hollow Silica Nanocapsules with Inorganic Salt in Shells

Waterborne latexes based on acrylates or methacrylates are used in paint industry. However, these polymers are generally amorphous. In order to check the effect of crystallanity, researchers from Germany and Spain synthesized waterborne copolymer latexes of stearyl acrylate-co-short chain (meth)acrylate (a mixture of methyl metacrylate, n-butyl acrylate, acrylic acid and acrylamide) by using different 2-step polymerization strategies. The effect of monomer composition and polymerization strategies … Continue reading Semi-crystalline, Waterborne Copolymer Latexes for Waterborne Paints

Chinese researchers prepared a waterborne polyurethane–acrylic hybrid polymeric dye, composed of methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer as cores and anchoring dye monomers (6-amino-2-cyclohexyl-benz[de]isoquinone-1,3-dione) to polyurethane chains as shells by soap-free emulsion polymerization method. This study revealed that enhanced fluorescence intensity of the hybrid polymeric dye was mainly attributed to the hindered formation of exciplexes among dye monomers and an augmented light absorption area. It was found that the … Continue reading Waterborne Polyurethane–Acrylic Hybrid Polymeric Dye