Soft and deformable elastomer microsphere dispersions can be formed into latex films by evaporating the water from dispersions. In order to obtain tough polymer latex films, a post-polymerization reaction for chemical crosslink between the elastomer microspheres is usually necessary, which requires extra additives during the drying process. This restriction renders the latex film formation technology complex and rather unsuitable for applications in which impurities are undesirable. The latex films, in which the microspheres are crosslinked only physically, are brittle because the chain entanglement between the microspheres can slip easily upon elongation. However, in the present study, it has been demonstrated that tough elastomer microspheres crosslinked with rotaxanes can form tough bulk films by evaporating water from microsphere dispersions, so that post-polymerization reactions are not required (<b>Figure (a)</b>). The latex film showed higher fracture stress and fracture strain, compared to the latex films of the microspheres crosslinked with a conventional crosslinker or non-crosslinked (<b>Figure (b)</b>). It suggested that the stress relaxation in each elastomer microsphere originating from the flexibility of the crosslinking points affected on the mechanical properties of the latex film of microspheres crosslinked with rotaxanes, even though the post-crosslinking reaction between the microspheres was not performed. These results should find the advanced applications in the areas of medicine and cosmetics, in which the minimization of impurities is desirable. Furthermore, the annealing effect of latex films will also be discussed.

Formation of tough latex films of polymeric microspheres crosslinked with rotaxane

2019 Fall National Meeting

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