THE EFFECT OF METHYL METHACRYLATE ON THE PROPERTIES OF SYNTHESIZED ACRYLATE EMULSIONS

Abstract

The effect of methyl methacrylate (MMA) addition on the properties of synthesized acrylate emulsions based on butyl acrylate (BA) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (EHA) was investigated. The samples were synthesized by addition of MMA in copolymer structure, ranging from 10 to 50 wt% of the total mass of BA and EHA. Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the molecular structure of synthesized acrylate emulsions and the results confirmed that a quantitative polymerization reaction occurred. The analysis of thermal properties showed that the addition of methyl methacrylate increases the glass transition temperature of the acrylate films obtained by drying the synthesized emulsions. The tensile strength and elongation at break increased proportionally with the increase of the content of MMA in the synthesized samples. Since the obtained acrylate materials can be used to improve the water impermeability of paper and other materials, the obtained emulsion was applied in a thin layer on a sheet of paper and the resistance of the paper to water and oil was investigated. The results showed that all emulsions were impermeable both to water and oil.
Keywords: emulsion polymerization, acrylic coatings, polymer synthesis, methyl methacrylate.