Core shell latex particles with a glassy core and a low T g polymeric shell are usually preferred. More so, the glassy core happens to be a fluoropolymer with a shell polymer that helps in processability. We describe here the preparation and characterization of core shell nanoparticles consisting of poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene-co-ethylvinylether) as core encapsulated in poly(styrene-acrylate) copolymer shell using seeded emulsion polymerization method under kinetically controlled monomer starved conditions. Properties of the emulsion using surfactants (fluoro/conventional) and surfactant free conditions were investigated. Average size (100 nm), spherical shape and core-shell morphology of the latex particles was confirmed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Absence of CAF and CACl peaks in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy proves that cores are completely covered. Polymerization in the presence of fluorocarbon surfactant was found to give optimum features like narrow size distribution, good shell deposition and no traces of agglomeration. Films of core shell latex particles exhibited improved transparency and enhanced water contact angles thus making them suitable for applications in various fields including coatings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.