Waterborne Hybrid Acrylic/Protein Nanocomposites with Enhanced Hydrophobicity by Incorporating a Water Repelling Protein

ALLASIA, MARIANA; PASSEGGI, MARIO C. G.; GUGLIOTTA, LUIS M.; MINARI, ROQUE J.

INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMICAL RESEARCH

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2019 vol. 58 p. 21070 - 21079

0888-5885

The use of natural proteins as renewable resource to produce eco-friendly latexes has an increasing interest in academic and industry, owing to the opportunity to develop materials with special functionalities, improved properties and biodegradable character. This article pursues the synthesis by miniemulsion polymerization of novel waterborne nanoparticles which adequate combine 3 main components: i) a low Tg acrylic copolymer that provides film forming and controllable mechanical properties; ii) casein, an amphiphilic protein that allows polymer particle stabilization in absence of an emulsifier,which means a challenge for preparing stable nanocomposite latexes; and iii) zein, a water repelling protein which balances the hydrophilic character of casein. Main characteristics of nanoparticles, as well as relevant properties of films obtained from hybrid latexes, are here reported. The obtained hybrid films show improved water resistance and increased surface hydrophobicity even when incorporating a small fraction of zein, without affecting the mechanical properties of acrylic/casein nanomaterials.