(55b) Emulsion of Poly (lignin-co-butyl acrylate) s As Biobased Coating Films

Stable waterborne latex are gaining a lot of importance due to its environment-friendly production, ease in manipulation, and a variety of application areas including packaging, paints and coatings, polymer foams, and films. For instance, latex usually includes rigid styrene and expandable acrylic monomers, which provide proper film formation properties and physical strength through waterborne synthesis methodologies. In order to increase sustainability of current latex film, this work aims to use lignin to substitute petroleum-based styrene to design a waterborne emulsion for coating and film formation materials with butylacrylate monomer together. The lignin was modified to contain polymerizable acrylic groups, which was acted as macromonomers for free radical polymerization with butylacrylate together via emulsion polymerization. The emulsion was then cast to form films. The ¹H-NMRand P³¹-NMR confirmed the synthesis of lignin-based acrylate.  The lignin-based copolymer films were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile testing, and gel permeation chromatograph (GPC) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the increase in modified lignin monomer (even in low concentrations) in the emulsion system improved the mechanical and thermal properties of films formed. The SEM images of the copolymer film indicated the growth of the polybutyl acrylate particles along lignin cores as templates.  In summary, lignin can be a feasible candidate for sustainable and green acrylate latex film synthesis.