An amphoteric poly(VAc‐DBM‐AM‐DMAPS) emulsion focusing on the ecological sand‐fixing in salty desert: Structure and properties

In order to control the impacts of blown sand in salty desert, in this article, the amphoteric emulsion, for the first time, was applied as an ecological sand-fixing material. This study started from the synthesis of the poly{vinyl acetate-dibutyl maleate-acrylamide-co-3-[N-(2-methacroyloylethyl)-N, N-dimethylammonio]-propane sulfonate} [P(VAc-DBM-AM-DMAPS)] copolymer emulsion. Then, the structures, composition, thermal property of the emulsion were characterized by 1H-NMR, FTIR, and DSC, respectively. The basic properties of the emulsion and salt tolerance of the latex films were measured by using viscometer, dynamic light scattering, and laser Doppler electrophoresis also. And the sand-fixing properties of the emulsion were evaluated. Finally, the influence of the emulsion on the growth of soil microbe and plants were discussed for understanding its ecological effect. The experimental results showed that the emulsion has been successfully synthesized and could be as an ecological sand-fixing material. The related reason is that, first, the emulsion could significantly improve the compressive strength and water retaining; second, the emulsion had good thermal aging, freeze-thaw stabilities and salt tolerance to withstand the changes in temperature and NaCl concentration of salty desert; third, the influence of the emulsion on the growth of plants and microbe of sand also showed a dependable ecological effect. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43715.