Modification of aqueous polyurethanes by forming latex interpenetrating polymer networks with polystyrene

A series of latex particles with interpenetrating polymer network structure have been synthesized from waterborne polyurethane (PU) and polystyrene (PS). The effect of PU/PS composition, cross-linking density in the PS domain as well as in PU have been studied in terms of dispersion size, transmission electron microscopy morphology, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties in addition to swellability in water and toluene of the dispersion cast film. It was found that inverted core (PS)–shell (PU) morphology was well defined and that the domain size as well as the film properties were well controlled by the latex composition and cross-linking density of both phases. Received: 15 March 2000 Accepted: 21 February 2001     

Effects of thermal annealing on the viscoelastic properties and morphology of bimodal hard/soft latex blends

The effects of thermal annealing on the viscoelastic properties and morphology of films prepared from bimodal latex blends containing equal weight fractions of soft and hard latex particles with controlled sizes were investigated. The thermal and viscoelastic properties of as‐dried and annealed samples were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Throughout the thermal annealing, the latex blend morphologies were also followed with atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A particulate morphology, consisting of hard particles evenly dispersed in a continuous soft phase, was observed in the TEM micrographs of the as‐dried latex blends and resulted in an enhancement of the mechanical film properties at temperatures between the α relaxations of the soft and hard phases in the DMA thermograms. As soon as the thermal annealing involved temperatures higher than the glass‐transition temperature of the hard phase, the hard particles progressively lost their initial spherical shape and formed a more or less continuous phase in the latex blends. This induced coalescence of the hard particles was confirmed by the association of the experimental viscoelastic data with theoretical predictions, based on self‐consistent mechanical models, which were performed by the consideration of either a particulate or cocontinuous morphology for the bimodal latex blends. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 2289–2306, 2005     

Water-Resistant Films and Coatings Based on Cross-Linking Styrene-Acrylate Latex Copolymers

Water-resistant films and coatings were prepared from latexes of copolymers of styrene, n-butyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid. The degree of cross-linking of the copolymers in the course of film formation and the water resistance of the films and coatings, associated with this parameter and evaluated by the water absorption and mechanical properties of wet films, were studied in relation to the gross composition of the latex copolymer, conditions of its synthesis, distribution of functional groups responsible for cross-linking in a latex particle, and temperature of film formation.     

Synthesis of large-scale,narrowly dispersed,highly cross-linked,and spherical latex particles via one-step emulsion polymerization through particle coagulation

Particle coagulation technology is a facile approach to prepare large-scale and narrowly dispersed polymer particles. However, diverse shapes such as ellipsolid, snowman, dumbbell, and trimer among others were obtained if the cross-linker was directly added into the initial reaction mixtures due to the restriction of the highly cross-linking particle fusion process. In this study, we prepared sub-200?nm, narrowly dispersed, highly cross-linked, and spherical latex particles using particle coagulation technology by controlling the relation between the cross-linking net formation and particle coagulation. Depending on the addition time or feeding rate of the cross-linker (divinylbenzene, DVB), the particles with different sizes or shapes were obtained. The later the addition start time of DVB, the narrower the particle size distribution of the latex particles. Alternatively, the increase of the continuing feeding time could also be used to decrease the width of particle size distribution of the ultimate latex. In addition, narrowly dispersed and spherical latex particles also could be directly obtained by advancing the particle coagulation time using 2, 2′-Azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride as a cationic initiator. Our study presents a new method that will further widen the fields of application of particle coagulation technology.     

反应性复合乳液的合成、表征及其交联反应

利用种子半连续乳液聚合方法合成了核层或壳层带有环氧基以及壳层带有羧基的3种不同核/壳结构的乳胶粒子,通过物理共混带环氧基和羧基的乳胶粒子,得到了两种反应性复合乳液.利用透射电镜和激光动态光散射对乳胶粒子进行了表征,其粒径分布较窄,粒径分布的多分散系数为0.062,平均粒径约76 nm,乳胶粒子具有明显的核/壳结构.通过胶膜的凝胶率和膨胀率的测定和红外光谱分析对反应性复合乳液中乳胶粒子的扩散及交联反应进行了研究,并探讨了不同核壳结构复合乳液对涂膜机械性能的影响.研究表明,当反应性复合乳液中的环氧基和羧基分别分布在乳胶粒子的核层和壳层时,有利于聚合物分子链的充分扩散和化学交联反应的进行,从而提高涂膜的物理化学性能,当甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(GMA)含量为10 wt%时,涂膜的拉伸强度达20.3 MPa.     

单分散交联聚（4—乙烯吡啶／丙烯酸丁酯）无皂正电性共聚乳胶

以偶氮二异丙基脒盐酸盐（V50)为引发剂,采用4－乙烯吡啶（4－VP）／丙烯酸丁酯（BA）为混合单体,分别以二乙烯苯（DVB）或双甲基丙烯酸乙二醇酯（EGDMA）为交联剂,用无皂乳液聚合的方法合成了一系列正电性共聚乳液,并用扫描电镜（SEM）、Zeta电位测定仪详细研究了单体配比、交联剂种类和交联度对粒径大小及其分布、粒子形态和乳液电性能的影响,并探讨了该三元无皂乳液聚合的成核机理。结果表明：4VP／BA的无皂乳液聚合遵循均相成核机理。当BA含量低或者微球交联度较小时,高分子亲水性强,临界链长度大,生成粒子数目少,所以粒径大;随着BA含量的增加或者交联度的增大,高分子疏水性增强,临界链长度沽小,生成粒子数目增多,粒径变小,当BA／4VP＝1／4（g/g)时,得到单分散共聚乳胶,少量BA与4VP共聚可以明显提高乳液的稳定性。     

Determination of the glass transition temperature of latex films: Comparison of various methods

The glass transition temperature (T_g) for two latices with different styrene/butadiene compositions was determined by the thermal SPM probe resonance frequency method. The results were compared with the T_g values obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA), process rheometer (PR) and thermo-mechanical analyzer (TMA) measurements. The T_g values detected by the thermal SPM method agreed well with the T_g values obtained by DSC and calculated by the Fox–Flory equation. DMA, on the other hand, showed a significantly higher T_g value for both latices than those obtained from theoretical calculations, the thermal SPM method and DSC. The T_g obtained from the PR curve was slightly higher for the latex with a low styrene content, whereas good agreement was obtained with the thermal SPM data for the latex with a high styrene content. The glass transition temperature determined by TMA agreed fairly well with the thermal SPM data for the latex with the low styrene content, whilst the value of T_g for the second latex was much less than those obtained by the other methods. The thermal SPM method detects changes in thermal behavior (thermal diffusivity, heat capacity) during heating of the latex films rather than changes in the mechanical properties. Information about the sample history could be seen in the thermal SPM curves, which was further associated with the degree of latex film formation, especially when the roughness of the films was taken into consideration.     

EFFECT OF THE PHASE STRUCTURE EVOLUTION ON THE PROPERTIES OF FILMS FORMED FROM PBA/P(St-co-MMA) COMPOSITE LATEX

A group of heterogeneous latexes poly(butyl acrylate)/poly(styrene-co-methyl methacrylate)(PBA/P(St-co-MMA)) were prepared by a semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization process under monomer starved conditions.The glass transition temperature(T_g)and the mechanical properties of the film formed from the composite latex changed with the evolution of the particle morphology.A photon transmission method was used to monitor the phase structure evolution of films which were prepared from core-shell PBA/...     

Mechanical properties of films from polymer latices

The mechanical behavior of latex films is governed by their macromolecular nature as well as by their origin from particles dispersed in an aqueous medium. When monomers of different polarity are copolymerized in emulsion copolymerization, a heterogeneous distribution of the polar groups in the latex and the film can occur, owing to the different water solubilities of the comonomers. Films from these latices in many cases show a two-phase morphology, first, consisting of the main polymer within the particles and, second, a phase which is concentrated in the interphase between the original particles and which has a strong influence on the mechanical properties of the films. Films from latices with crosslinked particles behave like homogeneous networks in the linear viscoelastic range, i.e. at small strains. Structured networks are found when latex films are interparticularly crosslinked during or after film formation, e.g. by polar bifunctional monomers or metal salts. Tensile tests of films show that the mechanical strength of latex films develops in the last stage of film formation by interdiffusion and entaglement formation across particle boundaries.     

EFFECT OF SURFACTANTS ON FILM FORMATION OF POLY (VINYL ACETATE) AND POLY (VINYL ACETATE-BUTYL ACRYLATE) LATEXES

Effect of ethoxylated nonyl phenol type non-ionic and alkyl sulfate type anionic surfactants on the film formation process of poly (vinyl acetate) and poly (vinyl acetate-acrylate) latexes are discussed. HLB value of non-ionic surfactant is shown to affect glass transition temperature, minimum film formation temperature and rate of film coalescence of vinyl acrylic latexes. Higher HLB non-ionic surfactant appears to be more compatible than the lower HLB ones with the fairly polar vinyl acrylic latex and form a well coalesced film. Presence of sodium lauryl sulfate in the latex is observed to result in incompatible regions on the latex film surface, typical of two phase morphology. Influences of surfactants on the film formation process in the polar vinyl acrylic latexes are compared and contrasted with the available data on the effects of surfactants in styrene butadiene latexes. The findings are discussed in terms of adsorption and interaction behavior of surfactants at polar vinyl acrylic latex surfaces and current theories of latex film formation mechanisms.     

热老化对丁苯胶乳体系机械稳定性的影响

研究了热老化处理对丁苯胶乳体系机械稳定性的影响.发现丁苯胶乳在高温老化过程中,胶粒容易团聚并形成凝胶,老化处理温度越高,凝胶出现时间越短,但是它的机械稳定性却随着老化处理时间的延长和老化处理温度的升高反而不断提高.为了阐明这种异常现象,测试了不同老化处理温度下胶乳的粒子尺寸、剪切作用下的凝胶比率、丁苯分子的结构与分子量分布,以及胶粒的力学强度随老化时间的变化规律,分析了影响机械稳定性的可能因素.结果表明,胶乳体系中丁苯分子在高温老化过程中发生了轻度的交联反应,导致胶乳干膜的300%定伸模量提高.进一步研究还发现,这个定伸模量与胶乳的机械稳定性具有对应关系,胶乳干膜的定伸模量越大,胶乳的机械稳定性越高,因此造成机械稳定性大幅上升的主要原因很可能是热老化交联后刚性较大的胶粒在高速剪切碰撞时难以及时融合.     

Thermal behaviour and mechanical properties of novel RTV silicone rubbers using divinyl-hexa[(trimethoxysilyl)ethyl]-POSS as cross-linker

Divinyl-hexa[(trimethoxysilyl)ethyl]-POSS (DVPS) as an octavinyl-POSS derivative was first prepared. A series of novel polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/DVPS hybrid materials as room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber were prepared. The chemical incorporation of novel POSS into hydroxyl-terminated PDMS system by hydrolytic condensation reaction was verified by attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy. Thermal degradation, thermo-oxidative stability and mechanical properties of these novel RTV silicone rubbers were studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis and tensile testing. The results exhibited significantly enhanced effects on the thermal stabilities and mechanical properties as compared to the PDMS polymer prepared with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The observed improvements in thermal properties could be attributed to the effective three-dimensional network structures resulting from the structure of DVPS. The thermal decomposition of the RTV silicone rubbers in nitrogen was also monitored by TGA coupled with real-time FTIR, and the degradation residues were also characterized by FTIR. It was found that the POSS cross-linker facilitated the formation of cross-links in the degradation residues. The striking improvement in mechanical properties could be attributed to the synergistic action of the structure of three-dimensional multi-arm cross-linker (vinyl-POSS derivative), the plasticization of self-cross-linking Vinyl-POSS derivative and perfect distribution of vinyl-POSS derivative.     

Modification of collagen-chitosan membrane by oxidation sodium alginate and in vivo/ in vitro evaluation for wound dressing application

Collagen-chitosan (COL-CS) membranes materials without a cross-linking agent have poor mechanical properties. In this paper, COL-CS membranes were modified by a novel naturally-derived crosslinker, alginate dialdehyde (ADA) with different oxidation degree, and the COL-CS-ADA films were obtained. COL-CS-ADA films were characterized by Fourier transform attenuation total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), differential calorimetric scanning (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), tensile testing, and cross-link density testing. The modification of ADA exhibited positive effects on mechanical properties, the thermal stability of COL-CS membranes. The cross-linking degree between ADA and COL-CS membranes increased significantly with an increase in the oxidation degree. COL-CS-ADA films showed no cytotoxicity toward L929 fibroblasts and had good biocompatibility. The animal experiments showed that COL-CS-ADA film could promote wound healing.     

明胶膜的性能研究进展

明胶膜具有良好的生物相容性和可降解性,并且其物化性质能被调节,因而应用比较广泛.本文综述了不同添加剂和制备条件对明胶膜的机械性能、阻隔性能、生物可降解性等的影响.通常增塑剂可以改善明胶膜的脆性,减小其机械强度和热稳定性.交联能有效提高明胶膜的机械性能和热稳定性,减缓明胶的降解速率.交联包括化学交联、生物相容性交联和物理交联.明胶与蛋白质、糖类、脂类复合,其性能得以改进,并且将明胶与高聚物共混、共聚改性,可以改善明胶膜的性能以满足不同领域的应用.     

硅丙型核壳结构乳胶粒子的制备及成膜过程

采用分步乳液聚合方法, 分别在不同步骤中将乙烯基硅氧烷单体作为共聚单体引入聚丙烯酸酯类乳液共聚合体系中, 制备出具有窄分布多层核壳结构形态的硅丙型乳胶粒子. 利用透射电子显微镜(TEM)表征, 乳胶粒子具有硅丙型核壳结构; 动态激光散射(DLS)分析得到的乳胶粒子的直径与TEM数据相符; 同时由多频调制差示扫描量热(TOPEM-DSC)技术分析得到的乳胶粒子的3个玻璃化转变温度与实验设计相符, 证实乳液粒子的核壳结构; 利用Horus成膜仪对乳胶粒子成膜过程进行全程监控. 利用多种助剂制得水性木器涂料, 其漆膜的硬度、耐丙酮性、耐水性、耐醇性及耐压痕等性能优异.     

Cellulose acetate/poly(methyl methacrylate) interpenetrating networks: synthesis and estimation of thermal and mechanical properties

IPN-type composites consisting of cellulose acetate (CA) and poly(methyl methacrylate; PMMA) were successfully synthesized in film form. In this synthesis, a mercapto group (SH)-containing CA, CA-MA, was prepared in advance by esterification of CA with mercaptoacetic acid, and then intercomponent cross-linking between CA-MA and PMMA was attained by thiol–ene polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto the CA-MA substrate. For comparison, polymer synthesis was also attempted to produce a semi-IPN type of composites comprising CA and cross-linked PMMA, via copolymerization of MMA and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker in a homogeneous system containing CA solute. Thermal and mechanical properties of thus obtained polymer composites were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and a tensile test, in correlation with the mixing state of the essentially immiscible cellulosic and methacrylate polymer components. It was shown that the specific IPN technique using thiol–ene reactions usually resulted in a much better compatibility-enhanced polymer composite, which exhibited a higher tensile strength and even an outstanding ductility without parallel in any film sample of CA, PMMA, and their physical blends.     

Contribution toward comprehension of contact angle values on single polydimethylsiloxane and poly(ethylene oxide) polymer networks

The large application ranges of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) based materials justify the importance of controlling polymer surface properties including morphology and wettability behavior. However, it appears that the reported contact angle values of PDMS surfaces show significant scattering which cannot always be interpreted in terms of sole chemical data. In addition, few values are reported concerning pure PEO surfaces, since the polymer generally swells in the presence of water. Thus, in order to correlate surface properties with sample preparation, several single PDMS and PEO polymer networks were synthesized with varying cross-linkers and different cross-linking densities. First, the sample surface topography was systematically analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was proven that the removal process of the polymer film from the mold plays a significant role in surface topography according to the vitreous or rubbery state of the given polymer network at room temperature irrespective of mold surface treatment. AFM-scale smooth surfaces can be obtained for all the samples by removing them systematically from the mold at a temperature below the α-relaxation temperature. Dynamic water contact angles were then measured and the values analyzed as a function of cross-linker nature and cross-linking density.     

Structure and properties of a photosensitive polyimide: Effect of photosensitive group

The photosensitive poly(p-phenylene biphenylteracarboximide) (BPDA-PDA) precursor was synthesized by attaching photocross-linkable 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEM) monomer to its poly(amic acid) through acid/base complexation. The polyimide thin films were prepared by a conventional cast/softbake/thermal imidization process from the photosensitive precursors with various concentrations of DMAEM. The structure and properties of the polyimide films were investigated by small-angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering, refractive indices and birefringence analysis, residual stress and relaxation analysis, stress-strain analysis, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. In comparison with the polyimide film from the poly(amic acid), the films, which were imidized from the photosensitive precursors, exhibited a better molecular order and microstructure; however, they exhibited less molecular orientation in the film plane. Despite the enhancement in both the molecular order and microstructure, the film properties (i.e., mechanical properties, thermal expansion, residual stress, optical properties, dielectric constant, and water sorption) degraded overall due to both the decrease in molecular in-plane orientation and the formation of microvoids caused by the bulky photosensitive group during thermal imidization. That is, on one hand, the PSPI precursor formation provides an advantageous, direct patternability to the BPDA-PDA precursor, and on the other hand, it results in degraded properties to the resulting polyimide film. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synergistic effect between POSS and fumed silica on thermal stabilities and mechanical properties of room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubbers

In this paper, both divinyl-hexa[(trimethoxysilyl)ethyl]-POSS (DVPS) and fumed silica were firstly introduced into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) system using as the cross-linker and the reinforcing filler respectively. And a series of novel RTV silicone rubbers synergistically enhanced by DVPS and fumed silica were prepared. The cross-linked networks in the novel RTV silicone rubbers have been studied by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, and the dispersions of POSS and fumed silica in these novel RTV silicone rubbers have been observed by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM). And thermal stabilities, thermo-oxidative stabilities and mechanical properties of these novel RTV silicone rubbers were studied by means of thermal gravimetric analysis and universal tensile testing machine, respectively. From the obtained results, it was found that synergistic effect between POSS-rich areas and fumed silica on thermal stability and mechanical property of RTV silicone rubber indeed existed. And the experimental results also exhibited that the thermal stabilities and mechanical properties of the novel RTV silicone rubbers were far better than those of the reference materials (DVPR and MTFR). The striking enhancements in thermal properties and improvements on mechanical properties of novel RTV silicone rubbers were likely attributed to the synergistic effect between POSS-rich domains and fumed silica. Meanwhile, it was found that the mechanical properties of RTV silicone rubbers prepared with a given amount of POSS cross-linker were enhanced with the increment of the loading amount of fumed silica.     

Method for Simultaneously Improving the Thermal Stability and Mechanical Properties of Poly(lactic acid): Effect of High-Energy Electrons on the Morphological, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of PLA/MMT Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites derived from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and organically modified montmorillonite (oMMT) have been cross-linked by high-energy electrons in the presence of triallyl cyanurate (TAC). The morphology of untreated and cross-linked PLA/MMT nanocomposites was characterized by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This treatment can improve both the thermal stability and the glass-transition temperatures of the PLA nanocomposites (e.g., PLA-MMT-TAC 30kGy, 50kGy, and 70kGy) because of the formation of cross-linking structures in the nanocomposites that will considerably reduce the mobility of polymers. Interestingly, at relatively low irradiation doses (e.g., 30 and 50 kGy) a good balance between tensile strength and elongation at break for the PLA nanocomposites could be achieved. These mechanical properties are superior to those of pure PLA. Therefore, combining nanotechnology and electron beam cross-linking is a promising new method of simultaneously improving the mechanical properties (toughness and tensile strength) and thermal stability of PLA.