Synthesis of stable high hydroxyl content self‐emulsifying waterborne polyacrylate emulsion

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe stability of hydroxyl polyacrylate emulsion was studied from two aspects of the structure of latex particles and polymerization conditions. Waterborne polyacrylate was prepared through seeded semicontinuous emulsion polymerization method with pre‐emulsification process. HEMA was used to provide a high content of hydroxyl group, and the reactive emulsifier SE‐10 was introduced to substitute for the traditional emulsifier. The best conditions including polymerization process and temperature, monomer types and dropping time were determined, and the effects of emulsifier content and addition method, HEMA content, chain transfer agent content, and soft/hard monomer ratio on the properties of emulsion were investigated. Through the optimization of polymerization conditions and the control of the structure of particles, we have successfully synthesized the core‐shell structure of polyacrylate emulsion with a good appearance, low viscosity and a solid content of 46.5%. The hydroxyl polyacrylate exhibits good performance, which has great potential in development and application. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44844.