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.

Epoxy resins are characterized by excellent properties such as chemical resistance, shape stability, hardness and heat resistance, but they present low flame resistance. In this work, the synthesized derivatives, namely hexacyclohexylamino-cyclotriphosphazene (HCACTP) and novel diaminotetracyclohexylamino-cyclotriphosphazene (DTCATP), were applied as curing agents for halogen-free flame retarding epoxy materials. The thermal properties and combustion behavior of the cured epoxy resins were investigated. The obtained results revealed that the application of both derivatives significantly increased flame resistance. The epoxy resins cured with HCACTP and DTCATP exhibited lower total heat release together with lower total smoke production compared to the epoxy materials based on conventional curing agents (dipropylenetriamine and ethylenediamine). Comparing both derivatives, the HCACTP-cured epoxy resin was found to provide a higher flame resistance. The designed novel class of epoxy materials may be used for the preparation of materials with improved flame resistance properties in terms of flame spreading and smoke inhibition.