Properties of Emulsion Paints with Binders Based on Natural Latex Grafting Styrene and Methyl Methacrylate

Infrastructure developments in recent decades have led to increasing demand for high-performance paints for construction and decorative purposes. Emulsion paint is water-based paint that is commonly used for coating the internal and external surfaces of a building. The quality and performance of this emulsion paint are highly dependent on its constituent components, such as binders, pigment, solvents, and additives. Emulsion paints initially used conventional formaldehyde-based binders and were, for some reason, prohibited from being used in paints due to health and environmental issues. The development of bio-based paints with natural rubber latex (NRL) has the potential to be developed as an emulsion paint binder. The results showed that NRL grafting of styrene monomer or MMA showed much better resistance to wet scrub and abrasion than PVAc at a monomer concentration of 20%, for styrene, and 30%, for MMA, with washability values reaching each of 11 and 12 cycles at 4% binder concentration. The NgSt20-4 and NgMMA30-4 binders’ abilities to overcome wet scrub and abrasion increased with increasing paint binder concentrations, reaching 22 and 23 cycles at 10% binder concentration. Overall, the combination of NRL grafted with MMA monomer and 30% PVAc showed better performance and could compete with commercial binders such as PVAc. Adding methyl methacrylate monomer increases the adhesion and cohesion properties of the binder and increases the binder’s resistance to scrubbing and wet abrasion. However, the combination of NRL grafted MMA and 30% PVAc showed the same effectiveness as NRL grafted MMA without PVAc, with more economical production costs.