Synthesis and Characterization of Alumina Sol-Modified Polyacrylate Emulsion

Alumina sol-modified polyacrylate emulsion was prepared by semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization using methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA), and acrylic acid (AA) as monomers, alumina sol as modifier. The chemical structure, particle size, and zeta potential of composite emulsion were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The influences of different contents of alumina sol on the surface tension and drying rate of composite emulsion were also investigated. The results showed that alumina sol existed in polyacrylate emulsion. The average particle size of composite emulsion was bigger than that of pure polyacrylate emulsion, and the zeta potential changed from negative value to positive value with the increase of alumina sol content. The introduction of alumina sol lowered the surface tension and accelerated the drying rate of pure polyacrylate emulsion. When the composite emulsion contained 3 wt‰ alumina sol, the surface tension reached the minimum with 31.79 mN/m and composite emulsion exhibited the fastest drying rate.