Facile fabrication and modification of epoxy acrylate latexes by epoxy resin and silane coupling agent

AbstractFor the purpose of obtaining solvent-free epoxy acrylate latexes of good stability and excellent integrated performance, the epoxy acrylate latexes were fabricated using facile semi-continuous emulsion polymerization with varying amounts of epoxy resin and were modified by a silane coupling agent γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH-570). The effects of epoxy resin and KH-570 amounts on the performance of latexes and films were investigated from the aspects of particle size, morphology, tensile measurements, resistance properties, adhesion force, and thermal behavior. The results indicated that the acrylate monomers did graft onto the molecular chain of E-51 characterized by both epoxy value and Fourier transform infrared. Additionally, an emulsion of 80–100 nm particle size with a narrow distribution was obtained. The latex films retain resistances to satisfactory water, acid, alkali, and alcohol while maintaining good thermal stability, adhesion force, and flexibility. The importing of KH-570 could reinforce the spatial structure and cross-linking density and then improve the tensile strength of the latex films properly while keeping other performances well. This work provides a facile pathway for the optimized performance for epoxy acrylate latexes, and represents a tendency for environmental protection.Keywords: epoxy acrylate latexesfabricationsilane coupling agentmodification AcknowledgmentsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the funding of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules.