Synthesis and characterization of polyacrylate latex containing fluorine and silicon via semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization

Abstract

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 as the initiator. The structural groups of the latex films were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal performance of the film was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis. The latex particle size and its distribution were measured by the dynamic light scattering detector. Furthermore, surface hydrophobicity of the latex film was examined by measurement of water contact angle (WCA). WCA and thermal stability of the film are increased with the increased amount of HFMA and VTES. Factors, which have an influence on the properties of the resultant latex and its film, are investigated in detail. Results show that the optimal condition of synthesizing the emulsion is as follows: the amount of emulsifiers is 7.0%; mass ratio of SLG to BCE-10 is 1:1; the amount of initiator is 0.8%; the mass ratio of MMA to BA is 1:1; the content of the fluorine monomer and silicon monomer is 6.0%.