Effect of ambient crosslinking on the mechanical properties and film morphology of PSTY-P(BA-co-AAEMA) reactive composite latexes

Composite latexes based on polystyrene and poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-acetoacetoxy ethyl methacrylate) were prepared, then post-crosslinked with 1,6-hexanediamine at ambient temperature prior to film formation. The effects of these crosslinking reactions between diamine and acetoacetoxy groups on the latex film morphology and mechanical properties were investigated. It was found that transparent films with significantly improved tensile properties were achieved.