Delivering Solvent Based Polymers in Eco-Friendly Water Based Systems

Providing solvent-borne polymer properties in waterborne systems represents a challenge that has been pursued for a long time. This challenge can now be overcome through the use of miniemulsion polymerization, a unique processing approach that can be applied to incorporate a wide range of polymers, many of which have traditionally only been deliverable using organic solvents. This work highlights some of the advantages of using miniemulsion polymer processing for combining acrylic polymers with a wide range of hydrophobic materials including alkyds/uralkyds, rubbers, tackifiers, and optical brighteners. It can be extended to include an assortment of other hydrophobic materials that are soluble in traditional acrylic, vinyl, and/or styrenic monomers. As a result, these traditionally solvent-borne polymers can now be made available for many different coating applications in an environmentally friendly latex system.