Self-Crosslinking Latexes with Antibacterial Effect and Chemical Resistance of Coatings

This paper deals with a facile fabrication of self-crosslinking acrylic latex coating binders comprising embedded nanoparticles originated from ZnO in the role of biocide agent. The incorporation of nanostructured ZnO was performed during the latex synthesis carried out by a semi-continuous emulsion polymerization technique. For the covalent self-crosslinking, diacetone acrylamide was copolymerized into the polymer to provide sites for the subsequent reaction with adipic acid dihydrazide. The latex storage stability and coating performance were assessed with respect to the concentration of incorporated nanoparticles (0.5-2 wt.% based on monomers). It was found that all coating binder compositions containing inorganic nanoparticles exhibited a long-term shelf-life stability and provided crosslinked smooth transparent coating films of high gloss. The binder compositions synthesized using 1-2 wt.% of nanostructured ZnO (related to monomers) provided coatings with enhanced solvent resistance and bacteriostatic effect.