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Surfactant-free hybrid adhesives based on poly(vinyl acetate) and commercial montmorillonite nanoclays

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Abstract

Hybrid adhesives of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and commercial montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclays, Cloisite® Na (ClNa) and Cloisite® 30B (Cl30B), were synthesized through a semi-continuous surfactant-free emulsion polymerization process. The nanoclay loading was varied based on monomer mass (up to 6 wt %). Ammonium persulfate and sodium bicarbonate were used in all polymerizations as initiator and pH regulator, respectively. Poly(vinyl alcohol) was used as the polymeric stabilizer for this system, with no additional small molecule surfactant added to assist the stabilization of the latexes. The hybrid adhesives were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results showed that latexes prepared in the presence of both commercial nanoclays exhibited improved colloidal stability. PVAc/ClNa and PVAc/Cl30B hybrid latexes showed reduced viscosity (up to 89% when using ClNa) and coagulum content (up to 75% when using Cl30B) in comparison with pure PVAc latex. The hybrid latexes also exhibited enhanced dynamic mechanical and thermal properties, according to DMA and TGA results. XRD measurements suggested that nanocomposites with exfoliated structures were obtained for PVAc-based adhesives prepared with ClNa (1.5–4.5 wt %) and Cl30B (1.5 wt %), while intercalated nanocomposite was formed when hybrid latexes were prepared with Cl30B at higher loadings (3.0–6.0 wt %). The methodology reported in this study to prepare PVAc/MMT hybrid latexes could be easily scaled-up to industrial conditions allowing for the preparation of adhesives with improved properties.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank FAPESP for supporting this study. Southern Clay Products, Hexion and Celanese are also greatly thanked for providing the commercial nanoclays, monomer and polymeric stabilizer, respectively, used in this study.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Lorena Engineering School, University of São Paulo, Lorena, SP, 12602-810, Brazil

    Jaime C. Cazotti, Gizelda M. Alves & Amilton M. Santos

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Cazotti, J.C., Alves, G.M. & Santos, A.M. Surfactant-free hybrid adhesives based on poly(vinyl acetate) and commercial montmorillonite nanoclays. Polym. Bull. 79, 5991–6009 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-021-03787-7

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