Strengthening waterborne acrylic resin modified with trimethylolpropane triacrylate and compositing with carbon nanotubes for enhanced anticorrosion

Two-component waterborne acrylic resin with enhanced mechanical properties modified by trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) and N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (KH792) was successfully prepared by solution polymerization, and the resin composites were prepared by using conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs). When the dosages of TMPTA and KH792 were 1 wt% and 25 wt%, compared with the unmodified resin, the tensile strength of the modified resin film was increased by 331% (from 1.81 to 7.81 MPa), and the contact angle and water resistance time also increased from 60.14 to 82.42° and 17 to 76 h, respectively. The introduction of TMPTA and KH792 resulted in the increase in crossing density and a denser network structure due to the reaction among them and other monomers, which also improved the solvent resistance and thermal stability of the film. In addition, electrochemical impedance and polarization curve measurements showed that the corrosion resistance of the films was remarkably improved by adding CNTs. The conductivity of 10−3.2 S·cm−1 was increased by 8 orders of magnitude when CNTs content was 2 wt%. This composite material has wide potential applications in electromagnetic shielding, flame retardant, and sensing. Graphical Abstract: The two-component waterborne acrylic resin modified by TMPTA and KH792 has excellent tensile properties and hydrophobicity. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]