Organic-inorganic composites based on magnesium phosphate cement and acrylic latexes: Role of functional groups

The role of carboxyl functional groups in acrylic latex employed to fabricate an organic-inorganic composite material based on magnesium phosphate cement has been investigated. The acidic nature of the latex aqueous medium enhanced the dissolution of the magnesium oxide in the first stages of the cement reaction. The following increase in pH promoted the deprotonation of the carboxyl groups, which became involved in surface adsorption effects. Adsorption processes were found to control the nucleation and growth of the reaction products. The resulting overall hindering effect slowed down the reaction rates and delayed the precipitation of the solid phosphates with beneficial consequences, namely, the retardation of setting time and the modulation of the heat released. Modification in the morphology of the formed crystals, with the prevalence of platelet-like over prismatic habit, along with a decrease in their average size, was obtained. The crystals formed in higher amounts with respect to the neat cement because the reaction proceeds closer to equilibrium. The obtained microstructure is strengthened because of a more effective intermingling between crystals and the amorphous phase. Furthermore, the synergistic combination of polymer and phosphate cement improved the elastic properties, and reduced the water absorption, impacting positively on the durability of the composite

Design of polymeric binders to improve the properties of magnesium phosphate cement

In the context of reducing the environmental impact of cement manufacturing, magnesium phosphate cements raise interest as alternative binders in construction, for immobilization of wastes, and recycling purposes. Their use in applications is somehow limited by short setting time, brittleness and low water resistance; this calls for the use of additives. Two polymer additives were designed adopting emulsion polymerization, an environmentally friendly solution to make available polymers as water-based latex dispersions. The composites containing 5 wt% of polymer, exhibited better elastic behaviour, with up to twice the toughness of the reference sample and of a sample produced with commercial styrene-butadiene rubber latex. Moreover, the additives reduced the apparent porosity, promoted phosphate crystallization, modified the size and shape of crystals, and effectively retarded the reaction, extending working time. The acrylic emulsion developing keto-hydrazide self-crosslinking reaction imparted better properties to the composite, thanks to the synergistic effect with the MPC setting reaction

Study of keto-hydrazide crosslinking effect in acrylic latex applied to Portland cements with respect to physical properties

Polymer-modified Portland-based composites are of interest for specific applications, in reason of their properties. There are different types of commercial additives and waste polymer-based materials applied to cement-based composites, however, their impacts on the environment are debatable. This work has prepared new acrylic latex additives with and without keto-hydrazide crosslinking from standardly available low-cost raw monomers. The influence of their incorporation into Portland cement-based fine-grained mortars has been investigated. The obtained results indicate that the highest effect on heat flow evolution changes has been detected in the case of latexes without crosslinking. The incorporation of both latex types into produced cement composites resulted in a significant increase in open porosity connected with the gradual decrease in mechanical resistance, especially the compressive strength. On the other hand, an important mitigation of liquid water transport properties of latex-modified composites has been achieved, and such properties can be tuned according to the used latex type and its concentration. The developed latex cement-based composites may find utilization as special materials for structures or products for water-loaded constructions or in areas with high concentrations of water-soluble salts or other pollutants

Aqueous polyacrylate latex nanodispersions used as consolidation agents to improve mechanical properties of Prague sandstone

This investigation aims at assessing the potential of polyacrylate latex nanodispersions as consolidation agents for sandstones. Four different latex types, implementing polymer fluorination and chemical crosslinking, have been synthesized at the scope and fully characterized. The Prague sandstone employed in this study has been selected as an example of highly porous stones used as building materials for many historical monuments. Two different concentration levels of nanodispersions have been adopted. The consolidated stone samples have been tested using a combination of physical-mechanical tests and microscopic observations. Compared to the non-treated samples, significant increments of mechanical properties (e.g. up to 3.3 times higher bending strength) have been detected after the consolidation treatment with concentrated products. Moreover, when 10 times diluted latex nanodispersions have been applied, the improvement of mechanical properties has still been significant, while moisture transport properties, such as water absorption, have been found to be comparable with those of the untreated sample. Fluorinated polymers imparted better hydrophobic properties with a contact angle above 100°. Observations using a scanning electron microscope revealed the good filling and bridging capacity of the applied consolidation agents. As demonstrated, by acting on the polymer structure, that is, by tuning the degree of crosslinking, polymer fluorination and gel content, the properties of these novel polyacrylate latex nanodispersions can be tailored to the specific stone and type of decay in order to improve the effectiveness of the treatments and obtain the desired final properties. The flexibility of their chemistry offers new opportunities for preserving objects of cultural heritage that are also at risk due to the ongoing climate change

Effect of Fluorinated Comonomer, Polymerizable Emulsifier, and Crosslinking on Water Resistance of Latex Coatings

Common latex coatings suffer from poor water resistance, which often limits their practical application. This paper reports on the preparation of polyacrylate latexes using various approaches to tune the water resistance, wettability, and surface properties of their coating films. The mutual effects of fluorinated monomer copolymerization, emulsifier type (polymerizable and general), and intra- or interparticle covalent crosslinking (due to allyl methacrylate copolymerization and a keto-hydrazide reaction, respectively) were studied. The polyacrylate latexes were synthesized through a two-step semicontinuous emulsion polymerization of 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid as the basic monomers. The fluorinated monomer was incorporated into the second-step polymer (at a content of 30 wt.% based on the second-step monomer feeds). The water resistance, wettability, and surface properties of the coating films were evaluated with focus on the water absorption, water whitening, water contact angle, and surface topography using atomic force microscopy. It was found that highly water-resistant and hydrophobic coatings that possessed a self-healing ability were prepared, provided that the polymerizable emulsifier and the fluorinated monomer were involved in the latex synthesis, along with the intra- and interparticle covalent crosslinking

Fluorine containing self-crosslinking acrylic latexes with reduced flammability and their application as polymer binders for heterogeneous cation-exchange membranes

In this study, self-crosslinking core-shell latexes comprising copolymerized perfluorethyl groups and a novel flame retardant based on phosphazene derivative were prepared by the semi-continuous emulsion polymerization. The heterogeneous cation-exchange membranes were obtained by dispersing commercial strong acid cation-exchange resin powder in the latex binder and casting the mixture. It was found that the increased concentration of fluorine atoms and phosphazene units in the macromolecular structure of interfacially crosslinked emulsion polymers resulted in a significant enhancement of their flame resistance and shape stability in aqueous environment. Moreover, the easily prepared heterogeneous cation-exchange membranes based were shown to exhibit satisfactory physicochemical and electrochemical properties.V této práci byly pomocí semi-kontinuální emulzní polymerace připraveny samosíťující core-shell latexy obsahující kopolymerované perfluorethylové skupiny a nový retardér hoření na bázi derivátu fosfazenu. Heterogenní kation-výměnnéh membrány byly připraveny dispergací komerční silně kyselé kation-výměnné pryskyřice v latexovém pojivu a odlitím výsledné směsi.Bylo zjištěno, že zvýšená koncentrace flourových atomů a jednotek fosfazenu v makromolekulární struktuře zesítěných emulzních polymerů způsobila výrazné zvýšení jejich odolnosti vůči hoření a tvarové stálosti ve vodném prostředí. Navíc se ukázalo, že tyto snadno připravitelné heterogenní kation-výměnné membrány vykazují dobré fyzikálně-chemické a elektrochemické vlastnosti