Integrating green synthesis, versatile functionalities and excellent adhesion into one composite adhesive remains a great challenge. In the current research, we realised waterborne Pickering emulsion polymerization using charged cellulose or chitin nanofibrils as natural stabilizers. These abundant and biocompatible nanofibrils have attractive advantages as stabilizers in the preparation of adhesives for medical purpose, such as enabling surfactant-free process, improving cohesion and enhancing water resistance. However, nanofibril-stabilized latex for adhesive has been rarely reported due to poor colloid stability during polymerization. Herein, we developed a novel strategy of using a combination of nanofibrils and initiators with the same charges to solve this challenge. We revealed that the repulsive electrostatic interactions between nanofibrils and initiators could facilitate Pickering emulsion polymerization. As a result, poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-<i>co</i>-methyl methacrylate) latexes are successfully prepared for surfactant-free adhesives with a high shear strength of 7.2 ± 0.6 MPa. In addition, estriol and miconazole nitrate can be easily incorporated in the nanopaper substrate or adhesive layer to form medical tape, exhibiting long-term drug release and antibacterial behaviors. We believe that this tape could be used as an accessary of medical devices, such as pessary, to realize the ease of operation and personalized healthcare. In addition to adhesive, we propose that various latexes for coatings and elastomers can also be produced via a similar approach by tailoring the charges of nanofibrils, initiators, and the types of monomers.

Natural nanofibril-stabilized latex for medical adhesion via pickering emulsion polymerization

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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