Synthesis and Emulsion Properties of Self-emulsifiable Polyethylene Waxes

Self-emulsifiable polyethylene (PE) wax was prepared using acrylic acid grafted PE wax with potassium hydroxide and various emulsifiers for the economic production of PE wax emulsion. Modification reaction completion was confirmed that the peak from carbonyl group of acrylic acid disappeared and the new peak from carboxylic acid salts appeared in the FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrum data. Self-emulsifiable properties of the modified PE wax were investigated by the emulsion size and the stability of wax emulsion without any additional emulsifiers. According to self-emulsifiable properties, the emulsion size and stability were varied on the concentration and structure of the emulsifier. The greater emulsion concentration and hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) characteristics of the emulsifier resulted in the smaller emulsion size and better emulsion stability. In addition, the use of emulsifiers mixture was more effective to obtain smaller size and uniform distribution of emulsion than that of single emulsifier in PE wax modification reaction. Especially, modified PE wax with OAE-5 and LAE-15 emulsifiers mixture shows excellent performance in terms of the smallest emulsion size (4.34 mu m) and emulsion stability.