Preparation and properties of emulsifier/N‐methylpyrrolidone‐free crosslinkable waterborne polyurethane–acrylate emulsions for footwear adhesives. I. Effect of the acrylic monomer content

Abstract

ABSTRACTStable emulsions of emulsifier/N‐methylpyrrolidone‐free crosslinkable waterborne polyurethane–acrylates (C‐WBPUAs) with various acrylic monomer contents (0, 10, 20, and 30 wt %) for footwear adhesive materials were successfully prepared in this study. The effects of the acrylic monomer content on the shelf stability, mean particle size, and viscosity of the C‐WBPUA emulsions; the tensile properties and dynamic mechanical thermal properties of the C‐WBPUA film samples; and the adhesive strengths between the upper (synthetic leather) and the sole (ethylene vinyl acetate rubber) in both the dry and wet states of the formulated adhesives (C‐WBPUA emulsion–thickener–hardener) were examined. The adhesive strengths of the formulated adhesives for footwear (leather–sole) in both the dry and wet states increased with increasing acrylic monomer content up to 20 wt %; after this, they almost levelled off. Thus, C‐WBPUA20 and C‐WBPUA30, where the number indicates the acrylic monomer content, can be recommended as high‐performance adhesive materials for footwear. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43758.