Vegetable oil based fatty amide as hydrophobes in associative thickener

Abstract

ABSTRACTA vegetable oil based high performance associative thickener has been designed and synthesized from a hydroxyl functional soybean oil derivative (hydroxyl value 159 mg KOH/g). An isocyanate‐terminated prepolymer was synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and end‐capped with the hydroxyl functional soybean oil derivative to prepare a hydrophobically modified ethoxylated polyurethane (HEUR) thickener. The synthesis was monitored by infrared spectroscopy via the isocyanate peak at 2258–2270 cm−1. Thickener efficiency was tested with a commercial styrene–acrylic latex UCAR™ 443, an acrylic latex Acronal® Optive 130 and an alkyd emulsion WorléeSol® E 150W. High thickening efficiency was noted in the low shear region, e.g., 0.5 wt % HEUR loading with UCAR 443 increased viscosity from 0.66 P to 3.06 P at a shear rate of 1333 s−1. The effect of soybean oil fatty amide based rheology modifier as additive in coating was evaluated in terms of gloss, viscosity, sag resistance, and flow and leveling properties. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1530–1538, 2013