Preparation of polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion for enhancing the adhesion of polyester/cotton yarn

Polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer emulsion was synthesized by prepolymerization of methyl methacrylate, and then copolymerization with acrylamide. The final yield of polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion can be up to 93.69%, and its molecular weight was 11.2 × 10 4 Da, as well as the characteristic peaks of the ester group (–COO) of methyl methacrylate and amide group (–NH 2 ) of acrylamide appeared on its structure. The component content of acrylamide and methyl methacrylate from polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) can be effectively controlled by adjusting the prepolymerization conversion of methyl methacrylate. The polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion exhibited spherical morphology, and its particle size was 50–130 nm. Moreover, the correlation between particle size and the film-forming property of the polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion was studied. It was concluded that when the particle size was small, the aggregation ability among molecules was strong, and endowed polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion film with more action during the stretching process, making it able to withstand the larger tensile opposite force. Interestingly, the polyacrylamide-poly(methyl methacrylate) emulsion can reinforce the adhesion of polyester/cotton yarn. These benefit from the strong hydrogen bond between polyacrylamide and cotton yarn and poly(methyl methacrylate) had a similar ester structure to polyester fibers. This work solves the problems of difficult copolymerization between acrylamide and acrylate, it provides a new way to develop acrylamide-based copolymer adhesive.