Polymeric surfactants with high acid values for emulsion type pressure-sensitive adhesives

Low molecular weight polymers with hydrophobic-carboxyl groups have been usually used as anionic surfactants in emulsion polymerization for coatings. However, such polymeric surfactants usually have low acid values below 200, because it is difficult to make high acid-value polymeric surfactants using a normal batch reactor. In this work, we polymerized high acid value polymeric surfactant having high acid values successfully up to 380 using CSTR (continuous stirring tank reactor). The synthesized polymeric surfactant was a random copolymer of P(BA-AA) and we applied them as anionic surfactants in making emulsion-type acrylic PSAs (Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives) to investigate the effects of high acid value on the adhesive properties. This CSTR enabled effective control of the polymerization reaction because it could control the composition and molecular weight of polymeric surfactants through varying monomer ratios, retention time, and initiator concentration. The surface tension analysis and emulsion stability test indicated that the polymeric surfactants exhibited a similar level of critical micelle concentration (CMC) and emulsion stability with other conventional anionic surfactants. Also, the adhesion property analysis showed that the PSA used a high acid value polymeric surfactant resulting in superior adhesive properties and heat resistance than the PSA used both low acid value polymeric surfactant and conventional low molecular weight surfactant. It was very notable that polymeric surfactants having unusually high acid values above 300 because of their high contents of carboxylic acid groups could result in superior adhesive properties and heat resistance.