Development of hybrid latexes of lignin/styrene/buthyl acrylate via emulsion and miniemulsion polymerization for carpet production

Abstract

The incorporation of organic matter derived from renewable resources for production of organic/organic hybrid polymers is of great commercial and scientific interest since this type of material confers specific properties with respect to applications as well as contributing to a reduction of costs with respect to the final product. The integration of lignin in hybrid polymers using free radical polymerization has received much attention in recent years due to the properties intrinsic to lignin, and the attractive cost of kraft lignin which comes from a renewable resource. Recent studies show that emulsion and more specifically miniemulsion are attractive techniques with respect to polymerization of hybrids in aqueous medium for a wide variety of industrial applications. The focus of this project is to develop hybrid latex of the organic/organic type using emulsion and miniemulsion to polymerize styrene (St) and n-butyl acrylate (ABu), in the presence of different concentrations of kraft lignin to be used to produce automotive carpets with enhanced performance and flame-retardant properties. The miniemulsion will be produced in a high-pressure homogenizer in a semi-continuous process. The hybrid latexes will be characterized in relation to global conversion, particle diameter, particle-size distribution, particle morphology, zeta potential, molar mass and the proportion of the total showing successful grafting. The mechanical and thermal properties of the films will be determined though dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC). The latexes produced will be used to manufacture the carpets that will be evaluated in relation to their mechanical stability, resistance to abrasion, and flammability. This project is auxiliary to FAPESP no. 2013/25619-3 and will have the technical support of BASF S.A. and the polymers group of the ICT-UNIFESP for the manufacturing and characterization of the carpet with fire resistance properties. (AU)