The effect of anionic surfactant type and concentration on the development of waterborne nitrocellulose

To better understand the gel emulsification method as an efficient method for producing waterborne nitrocellulose coatings [1–3], the effect of anionic surfactant type (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)) and concentration on the emulsification process was investigated. In the case of using SDBS, it was not possible to produce nitrocellulose emulsion via the gel emulsification method while emulsions with submicron size were produced using SDS. Contrary to what might be thought, in the gel emulsification method, high surfactant concentrations did not contribute to better drop breakage and led to catastrophic phase inversion. In addition, increasing surfactant concentration increased the hydrophilicity of the final coatings and decreased their chemical and mechanical properties.