Preparation and properties of antibacterial fluorinated acrylic emulsion

Abstract

In order to improve the antibacterial ability and weather resistance of acrylic emulsion, a novel kind of antibacterial fluorinated acrylic emulsion was prepared by emulsion polymerization with methacrylatoethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (MTAC) and hexafluorobutyl methacrylate (HFMA) as functional monomers. Based on various characterizations, results for the emulsion and its coating indicated that the modifying monomers were bonded into the new emulsion, and enabled it to perform good weatherability and antibacterial activity. Through 240 h accelerated aging test, the color difference (ΔE) and rate of loss of gloss (ΔG) of the new coating were 12.44 and 20.18% respectively, much lower than 17.06 and 52.62% of the unmodified coating. After incubated at 37 °C for 18 h, the number of colonies on the surface of the medium doped with the new emulsion was only 24, while those numbers in the control groups were all as high as tens of thousands. This study provided new idea for the dual modification of antibacterial property and weather resistance of acrylic emulsion.