Thickening of acrylic lattices with dispersions of crosslinked ethyl acrylate-methacrylic acid copolymers

Thickening of three model lattices of copolymers of ethyl acrylate and 0-2 wt.% of acrylic acid using dispersions of ethyl acrylate-methacrylic acid copolymer crosslinked with 0.25-5 wt.% of N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide was investigated. Measurement of the static light scattering revealed that the highest thickening effect occurred when, after alkalinisation, a sufficient amount of highly swollen crosslinked particles arose from the thickener. Viscoelastic properties of this basic matrix are a decisive factor for the rheological behaviour of thickening material. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.