Preparation of Hybrid Epoxy Acrylic Emulsion and Its Application in Anti‐Corrosion Coatings

ABSTRACT The inherent lipophilic nature of epoxy resin impedes its uniform dispersion in aqueous phases, thereby compromising hybridization efficacy. To address this, waterborne modification of epoxy resin is essential. Common strategies include self‐emulsification and surfactant‐assisted methods, with the latter being preferred for its simplicity and cost‐effectiveness. In this study, the surfactant Triton X‐405 (octylphenol ethoxylate) was employed alongside a phase inversion method to prepare an aqueous dispersion of epoxy resin (DER‐331). This dispersion was subsequently hybridized with an acrylic emulsion synthesized via emulsion polymerization in an aqueous medium. Increasing the epoxy resin content elevates the solid epoxy content (SEC) of the hybrid system. Post‐hybridization, a waterborne epoxy curing agent was incorporated to form cured coatings. The obtained coating exhibits significant improvements in physical properties. The dense network formed after the curing of epoxy resin and styrene‐acrylate substantially enhances both the physical and anti‐corrosion properties of the coating. When the epoxy resin content reaches 15% of the acrylic resin, the latex particle size distribution is the narrowest, and the mechanical properties of the cured coating are optimized: the hardness reaches H, flexibility is 0.5 mm, and adhesion reaches 1.21 MPa. Furthermore, the thermodynamic properties are improved compared to those of pure acrylic resin. The anti‐corrosion performance is also significantly enhanced, with a corrosion current density ( I corr ) of 6.9506 × 10 −7 A/cm 2 and a corrosion potential ( E corr ) of −0.2291 V, demonstrating excellent corrosion resistance.