High Performance Polymers
We develop water-based composite polymeric particles to improve the performance of coatings and functional materials.
Composite polymeric particles in aqueous dispersion can improve various application properties compared to monophasic latexes or conventional blends. These systems range from hybrids formed by different polymeric phases to combinations of inorganic nanoparticles and polymeric particles.
The synthesis of composite particles with controlled morphology is studied alongside their film-forming capacity and the final properties obtained after drying. These composite latexes allow the addressing of the so-called film formation dilemma in water-based coatings, related to the dependence between the glass transition temperature of the polymer and the minimum film formation temperature of the latex. Furthermore, we explore complementary techniques that enable hard films to be obtained when applied at room temperature.
