Synthesis and properties of silane-fluoroacrylate grafted starch

The latex of silane-fluoroacrylate grafted starch for coating materials, VTMS-starch/P(MMA/BA/3FMA), is obtained by two step grafting reactions. Vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) is primarily grafted onto starch by condensation between SiOH and COH at 120 °C, and then the copolymer of methyl methacrylate (MMA), butyl acrylate (BA) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (3FMA) is grafted onto the VTMS-starch by emulsion polymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used to confirm the chemically grafting reactions in every step. The conversion percent, grafting percent and grafting efficiency for VTMS-starch/p(MMA/BA/3FMA) latex indicate that the optimum conditions should be controlled at 75 °C for 1 h as VTMS-starch/P(MMA/BA/3FMA) in 1/3 weight ratio. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis have revealed that the latexes exhibit the uniform spherical particles of 40–60 nm in a narrow size distribution. The latex films perform the obvious hydrophobic (107°) property, lower surface free energy (25–35 mN/m) and the higher thermostability (330–440 °C) than starch (51°, 51.32 mN/m, 100–330 °C). Dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) shows that the latex film could gain considerable toughness and strength with an elongation at break of 39.45% and a tensile strength of 11.97 MPa.