This paper deals with the development of acrylic latexes providing high-performance water-resistant coatings. For this purpose, mutual effects of anionic surfactant type (ordinary and polymerizable), covalent intra- and/or interparticle crosslinking (introduced by allyl methacrylate copolymerization and keto-hydrazide reaction, respectively) and ionic crosslinking (provided by nanostructured ZnO additive) were investigated. The latexes were prepared by the standard emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as the main monomers. The addition of surface-untreated powdered nanostructured ZnO was performed during latex synthesis, resulting in stable latexes comprising dispersed nanosized additive in the content of ca 0.9−1.0 wt.% (based on solids). The coating performance with emphasis on water resistance was evaluated. It was determined that the application of the polymerizable surfactant improved coating adhesion and water-resistance, but it wasn′t able to ensure high water-resistance of coatings. Highly water-resistant coatings were obtained provided that covalent intra- and interparticle crosslinking together with ionic crosslinking were employed in the coating composition, forming densely crosslinked latex films. Moreover, coatings comprising nanostructured ZnO additive displayed a significant antibacterial activity and improved solvent resistance.

A water-based polymeric acrylate dispersion (latex) containing MgO nanoparticles, which had been added at a concentration of 1.5% (with respect to the monomers) during the preparation procedure, was investigated as an environmentally friendly binder for sanitary interior paints. The properties of this new latex were compared to those of a reference system free of the magnesium nanoparticles, synthesized by the same route, i.e., by semi-continuous emulsion polymerization. Tests were made in order to ascertain the mechanical and chemical properties, flash corrosion resistance and antimicrobial effect of the latex films. The results revealed that the new latex containing magnesium nanoparticles provided solvent-resistant coating films having pronounced antimicrobial activity against all the tested bacterial and fungal strains. The desirable antimicrobial properties can be ascribed to the sharp-edged character of magnesium nanoparticles, the peroxidation of lipids and the formation of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, no flash corrosion was formed beneath coating films containing magnesium nanoparticles, which can be attributed to the alkaline action due to the dissolution of a fraction of MgO in latex medium. The results of all of the tests provided evidence of the superiority of the polymeric dispersion with the magnesium nanoparticles to the reference system containing no nanoparticles.

This article deals with the simple preparation of environmentally friendly acrylic latex binders, which are functionalized with nanoparticles of metal oxides, namely MgO, ZnO, La₂O₃ and combinations of MgO and ZnO, serving as functional components to achieve antimicrobial properties, but also to improve physical–mechanical properties and chemical resilience. The incorporation of uncoated powder nanoparticles was performed during the synthesis, using the two-stage semi-continuous emulsion radical polymerization technique, to obtain latexes containing 0.5%–1.3% nanoparticles relative to the polymer content. Changes in latex performance due to nanoparticles were compared from the point of view of the type and concentration of metal oxide nanoparticles in latex. The results of the tests showed that all types of nanoparticles showed very promising properties, while with increasing concentration of nanoparticles there was an improvement in properties. The nanoparticles in latex provided interfacially crosslinked transparent smooth coating films with high gloss and good physical–mechanical properties. Latexes containing the highest concentration of nanoparticles provided coatings with significant antimicrobial activity against all tested bacterial and fungal strains, but also in-can preservative stability of liquid latex. Furthermore, the coatings were resistant to solvents, and in addition, latexes with MgO nanoparticles showed a significant decrease in the minimum film-forming temperature, and latex with a concentration of about 1.3% MgO did not show any flash corrosion under the coating film cast on a steel substrate. The latexes containing MgO and La₂O₃ nanoparticles provided coatings that were very resistant to water bleaching.