A Comparative Study of Properties of Acrylic Based Water-Borne Polymers Using Various Surfactants for Adhesive Applications

Emulsion polymerization of styrene/vinyl acetate/methyl methacrylate with butyl acrylate, acrylic acid and acrylamide is investigated using conventional and polymerizable surfactants. The effect of different surfactants on the water resistance, adhesion and surface properties of the polymer films was studied. The performance of films obtained from latexes using conventional surfactants is compared with that of latexes using polymerizable surfactants. The study showed that polymerizable surfactants are bound to the polymer backbone in such a way that their migration to film surfaces during drying is inhibited which helps in achieving better water resistivity with good adhesive performance.