| abstract |
A shelf-stable, one-component, water-dispersed, film-forming, thermoset resin composition, which composition is also solvent free, formaldehyde-free, and latex compatible, is disclosed. The resin is a latex dispersion formed by emulsion polymerization of monomer mixtures including one or more carboxylic acid-containing monomers and hydroxyl-containing monomers, and ideally including monomers such as styrene, butadiene, and/or acetonitrile. Monomers such as (meth)acrylates or (meth)acrylamides may be substantially absent, to avoid off-gassing volatile organic compounds when the composition is cured. The compositions can be used, for example, to prepare reinforced glass mats, insulation, and roofing shingles, used in thermosetting paper applications, or can be dried, melted and shaped at a temperature below the cure temperature, and then cured at the cure temperature. The glass transition temperatures of the polymers in the compositions can be varied over a wide range by varying the monomer composition. |