Batch and semicontinuous emulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate–butyl acrylate. II. Morphological and mechanical properties of copolymer latex films

Vinyl acetate/(VAc)-butyl acrylate/(BuA) copolymer latex films of various copolymer compositions were investigated for their morphological properties by electron microscopy techniques, and for their mechanical properties by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy (DMS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and tensile strength measurements. Batch copolymer latex films showed domains of PBuA dispersed in PVAc matrix; the domain sizes were increased with increased BuA content. Semicontinuous latex films were homogeneous in composition. Glass transition temperatures Tg determined from DMS and DSC indicated the presence of two, low and high, transition temperatures for batch latex films. The two temperatures approached the individual homopolymers, with increased PBuA content up to 51 mol %. Semicontinuous latex films showed only one single Tg. Tensile properties of the batch copolymer films showed a higher ultimate tensile strength, higher Young's modulus, and lower percent elongation to break compared to semicontinuous latex films. These differences were found to reflect the effect of mode of monomer addition during the emulsion copolymerization process on the particle morphology, and confirmed earlier data on bulk, colloidal, and surface properties of the same copolymer latexes.