Surfactant-free core–shell hybrid latexes from soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethanes and poly(styrene-butyl acrylate)

Novel surfactant-free core–shell hybrid latexes have been successfully synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization of 10–60 wt% vinyl monomers (styrene and butyl acrylate) in the presence of a soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethane (PU) dispersion as seed particles. The soybean oil-based waterborne polyurethanes, synthesized by reacting isophorone diisocyanate with methoxylated soybean oil polyols and dimethylol propionic acid, form the latex shell, serve as a polymeric high molecular weight emulsifier, while the vinyl polymers form the core. The structures and thermal and mechanical properties of the PU dispersions and the resulting core–shell latexes have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and measurement of the mechanical properties. The core–shell hybrid latex films show a significant increase in thermal stability and mechanical properties when compared with the pure polyurethane films, and exhibit a change in mechanical behavior from elastomeric polymers to tough and hard plastics, due to grafting and crosslinking in the hybrid latexes.

► Novel surfactant-free core–shell hybrid latexes have been prepared. ► Soybean oil-based polyurethanes serve as the shell while poly(ST-BA) is the core. ► The core–shells are grafting and crosslinking in the hybrid latexes. ► The resulting films show improved thermal stabilities and mechanical properties.