Session 11: EU-Project NAPOLEON
Chair: Dr. Wolf-Dieter Hergeth, Wacker Chemie, DENAPOLEON is the abbreviation for “NAnostructured Waterborne POLymEr Films with OutstaNding Properties”. The objective of this industry-led project is to create a generation of new products by developing a technology platform to produce films with controlled nanostructure without organic solvent or residual monomer. The idea is to use waterborne nanocomposite nanoparticles with carefully controlled structure as building blocks for the films. This session presents the advances that have been made so far.
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Tueaday Morning 9.00 – 12.30 h
Room St. Petersburg
11.1 9.00 – 9.30 h Industrial perspectives on nanocomposites for coating applications Dr. Dirk Mestach, Nuplex Resins, NL In 2005 an Integrated Project was started up within the Sixth Framework programme of the European Commission. The project?s full name is ?Nanostructured Waterborne Polymer Films with Outstanding Properties? (acronym: NAPOLEON). In this project, 9 different European companies work together with 13 academic centres of excellence on the development of nanostructured polymer films via a sustainable technology. The breakthrough idea is to use waterborne nanocomposite nanoparticles, synthesized by the miniemulsion polymerization technique, with carefully controlled structure as building blocks for the films. Different types of nanocomposite particles were developed: acrylic/urethanes; acrylic/clays; and acrylic/alkyds. The nanocomposites were used in a variety of industrial applications such as coatings, adhesives and cosmetics. This paper will focus on the use of these nanocomposite particles for coating applications. The development of an alkyd-acrylic hybrid polymer dispersion will be used to illustrate the advantages the technology offers.  | ||
| 11.2 9.30 – 10.00 h Advances in miniemulsion polymerisation Dr. Katharina Landfester, University of Ulm, DE For the formulation of nanostructured complex nanoparticles, the miniemulsion polymerization is a very suited technique. Here, nanodroplets are formed containing all components which should be afterwards in the nanoparticles. Due to a lack of monomer diffusion, the nanodroplet identity remains throughout the process allowing the encapsulation of inorganic particles, polymers, liquids, dyes and many more. The process is also not limited on radical polymerisation, but allows the formation of polymers obtained by polyaddition, polycondensation, anionic polymerization etc. A surface functionalization can be obtained by copolymerising functional monomers. In this talk, advances in miniemulsion polymerisation for the formation of nanoparticles for different applications ranging from coatings, adhesives, to cosmetics and biomedical applications will be covered. | ||
| 11.3 10.00 – 10.30 h Controlling polymer architecture and particle morphology of alkyd/acrylic waterborne nanocomposite coatings Dr. Joesé M. Asua, University of Basque Country, ES Alkyd/acrylic waterborne hybrid systems are expected to combine the positive properties of alkyd resin (e.g. autoxidative curing, high gloss and penetration in wood) with the fast drying and color retention of acrylic latexes. The properties of the coating depend on the polymer architecture and film morphology, which in turn depend on the morphology of the composite latex particles. It is believed that the intimate contact between the alkyd resin and the acrylic polymer will maximize the synergetic effect. In this work, alkyd/acrylic waterborne coatings have been produced by miniemulsion polymerization. The challenges in the production of fine-tuned nanocomposite dispersions are discussed, with special emphasis on the key synthetic points that allow controlling polymer architecture and particle morphology. The effect of the characteristics of the composite nanoparticles on film formation and film characteristics are presented. 10.30 – 11.00 h Networking: Refreshments & Coffee Break | ||
| 11.4 11.00 – 11.30 h Acrylic/clay nanocomposite latexes for coating and adhesive applications Elodie Bourgeat-Lami, Université de Lyon, FR Polymer/clay nanocomposites have long been the focus of both academic and industrial research. Of the various techniques so far developed, miniemulsion polymerization is particularly attractive as a means to create clay-based nanoparticles with designed nanostructures. Depending on the nature of the pre-treatment of the clay, it can be either encapsulated within the latex particles or located on their surface in an armoured-like morphology. In this research, polymer/clay composite latexes have been produced through miniemulsion polymerization. The various synthetic strategies enabling one to finely tune the particles’ composition and morphology will be described. A variety of techniques, such as analytical ultracentrifugation, X-ray diffraction analysis and cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy, were found to be particularly useful in localizing the clay platelets within the latex suspension and assessing the effect of the clay pre-treatment on the particles’ morphology. The mechanical behaviour of the resulting composite coatings will be reported in a subsequent paper. | ||
| 11.5 11.30 – 12.00 h Design of waterborne polymer/clay nanocomposites for desired mechanical properties Dr. Laurent Chazeau, INSA Lyon, FR Various in-situ polymerization techniques are being developed, in the frame of the European NAPOLEON project, to synthesize new hybrid clay/polymer latexes for coating applications. Depending on their formulation and the control of the synthesis, the clay - more or less exfoliated - can be localized either outside or inside the particles. In these nanocomposites, the clay/polymer interface is strongly dependent on the pre-treatment of the clay and more generally on the formulation. Moreover, the particles can possess a compositional drift in the polymer phase, because of the influence of the clay on the polymerization. These different parameters strongly impact the microstructure and hence the mechanical properties of the films made from these latexes. Here, through the example of the clay/polymer nanocomposites synthesized in the NAPOLEON project, we will illustrate how microstructure and mechanical properties can be correlated in such materials, and report which key parameters have to be considered when designing polymer colloid nanocomposites for desired mechanical properties. | ||
| 11.6 12.00 – 12.30 h Understanding the film formation of waterborne nanocomposite coatings Prof. Joseph Keddie, University of Surrey, GB We describe the emergence of numerous techniques that give insight into the stages of film formation in waterborne nanocomposite films. The development of stress (tensile and dilational) during the drying process is mapped in the plane of the film using the new technique of membrane bending. Methods of light scattering are applied to wet films to probe particle motion, which complements measurements of water concentration profiles obtained with magnetic resonance profiling. The deformation and coalescence of particles, along with the migration of surfactant, is visualized over time using wet scanning transmission electron microscopy. Fluorescent resonant energy transfer measurements, applied to the early stages of drying, yield insight into the first moments of particle contact and interdiffusion across polymer membranes. Raman depth profiling, in conjunction with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reveals the distribution of surfactant laterally and vertically in dry films. Together these methods provide a comprehensive understanding of a complex process. | ||
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