Low VOC latex paints from a precipitation polymerization process

Even though paints and coatings have been very useful in protecting various substrates, their use has been accompanied by a heavy environmental price. There is a need to minimize the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the formulation of these materials. In the latex paint area, we have implemented a conventional precipitation process in emulsions to form binder particles that contain block copolymers and have softer blocks on the particle surface. The softer surface provides the binder film-forming properties without the need for the use of solvents or VOCs. The covalent connections between the soft blocks and the hard blocks are expected to impart good performance in the resulting dry coatings. Indeed, we have shown that our test coating from these binder particles containing block copolymer have similar properties in most performance categories to those of a semi-gloss control paint that has been formulated with typical amounts of VOCs. Received: 8 August 2000 / Accepted: 28 December 2000