RAFT copolymerization of amphiphilic poly (ethyl acrylate-b-acrylic acid) as wetting and dispersing agents for water borne coating

•Design of additive by CRP.•Controlled PDI.•Efficient wetting and dispersing agent.

Additives are very crucial in any paint formulation, as they play a significant role during various stages, when incorporated in a small amount. This additive exhibit unique molecular architecture which could be achieved by living radical polymerization, i.e., ATRP, RAFT, and NMP. An amphiphilic diblock copolymer of poly (ethyl acrylate)-b-poly (acrylic acid) (EA-b-AA) has been synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) technique at three different molecular weights, viz., 5000, 7500, and 10,000 having an acid value of 130 mg KOH/g of sample. Cumyl dithiobenzoate was synthesized and characterized as a chain transfer RAFT agent. Here, block length was kept identical and molecular weight of the copolymer was varied. The ability of additives to function as wetting and dispersing agent were evaluated by analyzing their performance properties such as mechanical, optical, chemical, and rheological at different PVC’s. Polydispersity index (PDI) less than 1.6 determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicates good control during polymerization.