(180i) Covalently-Colored Polymer Latex Prepared by Emulsion Polymerization Using Polymerizable Dyes

Colored polymer latexes have a wide variety of applications in different areas, also the colored nano/micro particles in latex have attracted more considerable attention. Due to a large specific surface area, they are considered possessing great potential in different areas including drug separations, enzyme immobilization and chemical/biochemical sensors. However, the dye molecules in colored latex could easily leak from the polymer particles, causing precipitation and fading of colored latex, meanwhile the colored polymer film prepared from colored latex exhibits poor light fastness. In order to promote the migration fastness and light fastness of colored latex, our group tried to fabricate the covalently-colored polymer latex by covalent incorporation of dyes with polymer for promotion of dyes fastness. In this presentation, novel polymerizable dyes used as essential ingredients were synthesized from anthraquinone derivatives, and both red and yellow polymer latexes was prepared by traditional emulsion polymerization using styrene (St), butyl acrylate (BA), methacrylic acid (MAA) and polymerizable dyes. The properties of the resulting latex, including polymerization conversion, dye monomer conversion, molecular weight and latex particle size were characterized to reveal the influence of dye monomers on emulsion polymerization. Results indicated that despite of inhibition effect of polymerizable dyes on polymerization, colored polymer latex could be prepared with complete conversion and high molecular weight, whereas, conversion of polymerizable dye decreased when larger amount of dye monomer was used. Because of the covalent bond of dye and polymer chains, the light fastness of colored polymer films prepared by drying latex was greatly improved in comparison with the noncovalently-colored polymer latex film.