Sustainable High-Solids Bio-Based Core–Shell Latexes with Itaconic Acid for Tunable Mechanics and Ion Binding
Journal
ACS Applied Polymer Materials
Journal Volume
8
Journal Issue
11
Start Page
8065
End Page
8080
ISSN
26376105
Date Issued
2026-06-12
Author(s)
Hu, Cheng-Ti
Chou, Yu-Min
Chiu, Po-Hsun
Tai, Tzu-Ling
Shih, I-Han
Lee, Yu-Ping
Hsieh, Chih-Chen
Chiu, Wen-Yen
Abstract
The development of sustainable emulsion polymerization strategies that simultaneously achieve high solid contents and efficient incorporation of biobased monomers remains a central challenge in green polymer chemistry and scalable materials manufacturing. Herein, we report a facile one-pot emulsion polymerization approach for synthesizing high-solid-content core/shell latex nanoparticles composed of a complementary soft poly(methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) core and a hard, biobased poly(itaconic acid) (PIA) shell. Through formulation optimization, latexes with up to 50 wt % monomer loading, >90% conversion, and excellent colloidal stability were achieved. A high biomass itaconic acid (IA) content (up to 40 wt %) was critical, as IA acted synergistically as both a renewable monomer and an amphiphilic stabilizer (cosurfactant), promoting efficient micelle nucleation and interfacial localization under high-solids conditions and eliminating the need for conventional multistage core/shell synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and tensile testing confirmed the formation of well-defined core/shell nanoparticles exhibiting distinct dual glass-transition temperatures and yielding cast films with mechanical properties readily tunable from ductile to stiff. Moreover, the IA-rich shell supplied abundant accessible carboxyl groups, enabling efficient Cu2+ coordination with uptake capacities of up to 167 mg g–1, ranking these materials among the most effective polymer-based Cu2+ sorbents reported. Overall, this work establishes a scalable and environmentally benign strategy for producing biobased core/shell latexes that integrate structural tunability with ion-chelating functionality, highlighting their potential for sustainable ion-exchange and separation applications.
Subjects
biomass
core/shell latex
emulsion polymerization
green chemistry
ion exchange
itaconic acid
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Type
journal article