Monodispersed colored polymer latex particles with film formation and chemical crosslinking for application on textile binder-free printing

Abstract

Colored polymer latex particles have received widespread attention due to their small particle size, large specific surface area, and brilliant color. In this paper, a polymeric disperse dye (AHAQ) base on anthraquinone chromophore was successfully synthesized. Afterward, a series of silicone modified styrene-acrylate latexes (PSBMA) were prepared by styrene (St), n-butyl acrylate (BA), vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS), and AHAQ through semi-emulsion polymerization. Results of DLS, TEM, and stability tests showed that the PSBMA exhibited monodispersity with a particle size of 78 nm and had excellent dispersion stability. The PSBMA film was obtained by drying PSBMA. The increase of the glass transition temperature (Tg) and weight residual of PSBMA films with the increase of VTMS contents implied the augmentation of crosslinked density. The initial UV-protection factor (UPF value) of PSBMA films was 471, which indicated that the PSBMA films had an excellent UV-protection property. In the testing of aging resistance, the UPF and color difference (ΔE) values of PSBMA films changed slightly after exposure for 10 days, showing an excellent aging-resistance property. Finally, the prepared PSBMA was further applied to textile printing under a binder-free condition through its film formation and chemical crosslinking. Testing of hand feel and color fastness demonstrated that the PSBMA printed fabrics had a softer hand feel and higher color fastness as compared with the conventional pigment printed fabrics.