Improving water resistance of water-borne formulations using polymerizable surfactants

 
Conventional surfactants are widely used to make latex polymers through emulsion polymerization in the industry for various applications such as water based coatings and adhesives. It is also known that water sensitivity has been an issue in these water-borne formulations due the presence of small molecule conventional surfactants. A way to improve the resilience of these polymers to water is by incorporating the surfactants on the polymer backbone. This paper will describe the use of emulsifiers containing a polymerizable moiety, polymerizable or reactive surfactants, in an emulsion polymer resin and compare the performance of these polymers with resins that utilize conventional emulsifiers. Specific examples of polymer synthesis as well as evaluation of these resins in water-borne formulation of adhesives and coatings will be presented to demonstrate the use of polymerizable surfactants in water-borne resins in improving water sensitivity issues.