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| Novel Polymerization Technology  Dr. Caneba has discovered a free-radical polymerization process that has the following features:
2. Capability of producing effective amounts of block copolymers 3. Polymer products with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Copolymers We have used styrene-based hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers as coupling agent for wood-polystyrene composites. The block copolymer can be produced in large quantities and delivered as a water-based self-emulsion. When wood fibers were are immersed or sprayed with the emulsion, the resulting dried wood material is mixed with polystyrene and blended to form a composite. The composite was demonstrated to have a dramatically higher level of toughness without sacrificing yield stress compared to the composite without the block copolymer coupling agent. The block copolymer could be used to produce composites from recycled polystyrene and wood or paper. It also has the potential as a surfactant. We are currently developing a procedure that can be used to produce a poly(methyl methacrylate)-based hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers. This material can be used as coupling agent for PVC-based composites. We have developed a new type of hydrophilic-hydrophobic material that
is being produced from inexpensive raw materials in a very efficient
process operation. The material is delivered in a no-VOC water-based
self-emulsion. It has a unique chemical makeup and it can be marketed
as a low-cost surfactant that has a wide-range of HLB numbers. Since
the hydrophilic portion of this material comes from an acid polymer
that can be distributed along the chain or at the ends (one or two ends
of the linear chain), then this material can be used in a formulation
where the acid can be reacted with a suitable base material, such as
in adhesives, epoxy systems, polyurethane formulations, etc. From the above-mentioned hydrophilic-hydrophobic block copolymers,
we have been able to generate silicone-containing blocks by reacting
the hydrophilic parts with amino-silicones. These copolymers can be
used to impart a very thin semi-permanent water-repellent and lubricating
layer to polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), polyvinylchloride,
etc. We have been able to generate emulsions from polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) radicals that can be reacted with other monomers. For example, emulsions containing very high molecular weight polystyrene-poly(butyl acrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate)-poly(butyl acrylate) have been generated to produce a thermoplastic elastomer from the dried solid. Poly(methyl methacrylate)-based emulsions have been generated and
formulated as interior eggshell very low-VOC paints. Most of the paint
properties compare to conventional interior eggshell paints, although
wet scrub resistance indicates failure after about 600-1,000 cycles.
Neat very low VOC emulsions were demonstrated to be useful as clear
coatings for wood. Dr. Gerard Caneba
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