Synthesis and Application of Polyacrylate/Nano-SiO₂ Composite Leather Finishing Agent with Polymerizable Surfactant

Abstract

Polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ composite was synthesized via semi-continuous emulsion polymerization stabilized with polymerizable surfactant. The influence of synthetic conditions on the properties of polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ composite was investigated in details. Dynamics Laser Scattering (DLS) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) analysis indicated that the latex containing polymerizable surfactant had higher stability and more uniform size. Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) images demonstrated conventional surfactants exhibited higher exudation rate than composite containing polymerizable surfactant. Application in leather finishing showed that latex stabilized with polymerizable surfactant exhibited a remarkably better resistance to water uptake and better performance of vapor permeability than that of latex containing conventional surfactants.

Keywords:

• Leather finishing
• Polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ composite
• Polymerizable surfactant

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This investigation was supported by International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China (2011DFA43490), National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program), National Natural Science Foundation of China (51073091, 21006061), Xianyang Science and Technology Paln Projects (2010K10-15) and Graduate Innovation Fund of Shaanxi University of Science and Technology.

Notes

1# resin—Polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ composite latex stabilized with the mixture of conventional surfactants (SDS and PEG), 2# resin—Polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ composite latex stabilized with polymerizable surfactant DNS-86 (same as the following).