Acrylic and Acrylic/styrene Copolymer Dispersions
Acrylic and Acrylic/styrene Copolymer Dispersions
Acrylic and Acrylic/styrene Copolymer Dispersions
Ausgabe/Issue: 3/1998
Modern binders for emulsion paints Latex paints can be formulated from a variety of polymer dispersions. This article compares the
properties of acrylic and acrylic!styrene dispersions when used as binders in such paints. The films formed from these dispersions
absorb little water. Acrylic/styrene films are more permeable to water vapour than straight acrylic ones. There is no difference in the
performance of acrylic and acrylic/styrene latices in mat paints formulated for use outdoors. 1 Introduction Emulsion paints and
textured finishes are usually based on aqueous dispersions of acrylic ester or vinyl ester copolymers. This paper will look at acrylics
only and compare the properties of acrylic and acrylic/styrene copolymers. In 1929 in Ludwigshafen/Germany, Fikentscher developed
a process for the emulsion polymerization of acrylic esters. Aqueous dispersions of these copolymers, called latices, have been used
in Europe for exterior emulsion paints since the mid- 1950s. The paints at that time exhibited good saponification resistance but poor
resistance to chalking. In the mid- 1960s, the first acrylic/styrene binders appeared on the European market. Acrylic and
acrylic/styrene binders have been in continuous competition ever since. Why were acrylic/styrene binders developed? Vinyl ester
polymers dominated the emulsion paints market up until the mid-60s. Premature dirt pick-up, higher water absorption and destruction
of the binder by saponification on alkali substrates were just some of the problems associated with vinyl esters. Pure acrylic
dispersions did offer a technical solution, but their higher price was out of proportion to the potential gains. The market demanded a
cheaper binder, yet with all the advantages of pure acrylics - low water absorption, high alkali resistance and low dirt pick-up of the
coating. These requirements led to the development of a new dispersion based on butyl acrylate and styrene. A further advantage of
this fine-particle anionic dispersion was high pigment-binding capacity; this marked a new era for highly pigmented mat interior
emulsion paints characterized by good wet scrub resistance. Low water absorption proved to be an important property when it came
to textured finishes. Acrylic/styrene dispersions quickly grew in popularity in the masonry paints segment, as accelerated and
long-term trials confirmed the advantages predicted. Even today, almost 30 years after the start of the first field trials, there are
buildings that still have their original coats (see Figure 1 of building in Ludwigshafen/Germany, painted in 1969 and photographed in
1997). It is in masonry paint applications that the acrylic-versus-acrylic/styrene question arises continually. To answer this question,
the differences and similarities between both types of acrylic dispersions will be discussed in the following. 2 Acrylic copolymer
dispersions There are two types of acrylic copolymer dispersions produced industrially: those consisting of only acrylates - the
so-called pure or straight acrylic dispersions - and those made up of acrylate and styrene. The monomers used in pure acrylic
dispersions are acrylic or methacrylic esters; those used in acrylic/styrene polymers are styrene and (chiefly) acrylic esters. Table 1
shows the range of monomers used in both types of copolymer. The monomers available allow a wide range of copolymers with
greatly differing properties to be produced. It is therefore certainly untrue that all pure acrylic polymers have similar properties.
Coatings based on EA/MNA copolymers, for instance, are prone to chalking; those based on nBA/MMA are stable. The situation is
similar with acrylic/styrene polymers. If one wants to produce an EHA/styrene polymer and a BA/styrene polymer having the same
glass transition temperature, the EHA/styrene copolymer has to contain a higher proportion of styrene to compensate for the lower
glass transition temperature of EHA. But because styrene has poor UV stability, use of a polymer containing less styrene (here
BA/styrene) is preferable for formulating paints for use outdoors. Acrylic/styrene copolymers have the advantages of high pigment
binding capacity, low water absorption and high resistance to saponification. Of course, exterior paints can be made from pure acrylic
binders, which are resistant to weathering and UV. They also generally absorb less water than vinyl esters. Pure acrylics are prefered
for "binder-rich" formulations, i.e. those having a low pigment content (e. g., varnishes, wood stains and gloss emulsion paints).
Figure 2 shows the types of coatings in which the two classes of binders are used and the volume concentration of pigment they
contain. Two typical copolymer dispersions - one a pure acrylic (Ak), the other an acrylic/styrene (Ak/S) were used for the
experiments. They are described by their constituent monomers, minimum filmforming temperature (MFFT) and their water
absorption ( Table 2). Tests were carried out on films formed from the pure dispersion and various masonry paints in which the
dispersion was present as the binder. The paints were applied to a substrate and allowed to weather naturally; they were examined
for evidence of chalking and colour change at specific intervals. 3 Tests on polymer-dispersion films Polymers used as binders in
architectural coatings exposed to the weather must meet several performance criteria. Apart from its decorative role, the coating must
protect the masonry work from moisture and so preserve the fabric of the building. The main factors to consider when formulating
such a coating are: * the moisture protection afforded, * resistance to fading. Moisture protection (i.e., the resistance the coating
offers to the penetration of moisture) is the main technical criterion for masonry paints. This is because water, in all its physical states,
is still the main cause of damage to buildings. The "hydraulics" of a coating can be described well in terms of two variables: * water
absorption, * water vapour transmission rate (WVTR). Low water absorption is important in rainy climates, including European
latitudes. Water absorption by capillary action can be minimized by careful formulation and application of the coating. The use of
organic binders has a measurable effect on water absorption and WVTR; the extent depends on the constituents of the binder (type
of main and auxiliary monomers, emulsifiers and additives present) and the polymerization process. Water absorption and vapour
transmission are therefore important selection criteria for dispersion binders for masonry paints. 3.1 Film testing procedures The
water absorption and water vapour transmission rate of paint films and dispersion films were determined. Preparation of the specimen
was made as described in the following. 3.1.1 Water absorption in polymer films Pure dispersion was mixed with 1 % of "Lusolvan
FBH" and 0.5% of "Luconyl Red 3396". The mixture was allowed to "mature" for 24 hours. Then the mixture was poured into a
shallow silicone rubber tray, dried for three days at room temperature and then for seven days at 50 °C; the dry film thickness was
approximately 0.5 mm (± 0.1 mm). Six test specimens were taken from the film for each type of dispersion. The paints were applied
on a sheet of glass by a film applicator. The film was dried as above and six test specimens obtained for each type of dispersion. The
dry film thickness was also similar. The films were immersed in water for a number of cycles. Each cycle consisted of weighing the
film, immersing in water for 24 hours, removing excess water with absorbent material, weighing, drying for 48 hours at 50 °C and
finally re-weighing. 3.1.2 Preparation for the measurement of water vapour transmission Three unprimed discs of fritted glass were
coated with 2 g of paint; this corresponded to a coating weight of 300 g/m². The specimens were dried for three days at room