Effects of anionic surfactants on styrene-acrylic copolymer emulsion for wood coatings

Wood coatings have the biggest share in industrial coatings market. Because of high VOC content of conventional solvent-based systems, the market share of low-VOC systems are increasing year by year. Because of the low cost and ease of application of water- based 1K acrylic emulsion systems, they have the biggest increase within low-VOC systems. Water-based 1K acrylic systems differentiate in terms of their end use application and application method. It is convenient for brush, spray, curtain or roller coater systems. It has a wide range of application like furniture, exterior wood substrates, floors, industrial mdf panels, etc. From chemical point of view, styrene-acrylic copolymers, pure acrylic copolymers or vinyl acrylic copolymers can be used in several wood coating application. Main performance criterias are hardness, early hardness development, sandability of the film, scratching resistance, drying time, blocking resistance, chemical resistance and asthetistical properties. The aim of this study is to examine how a range of different anionic surfactants affect the polymerization of styrene-acrylic emulsion and the end properties of an interior clear wood coating system prepared with these copolymers. The surfactants used in this study include different types of anionic surfactants as sodium lauryl suphate, sodium lauryl ether sulphate (2EO and 4EO), sodiım dodecylbenzene sulphonate, alkyl polyethylene glycol ether sulphate, polyoxyhethylene tridceyl phospate ester and disodium exthoxylated alcohol [C10-C12] half ester of sulfosuccinic acid.