New hybrid acrylic/collagen nanocomposites and their potential use as bio-adhesives

Abstract Nowadays material science is trying to design products that combine the adaptability of synthetic polymers with the structure and functionality of biopolymers. In this context, the present work investigates the production of hybrid nanocomposites based on acrylic and hydrolyzed collagen (HC) to obtain a waterborne dispersion with film forming capability. For this purpose, the emulsion copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and butyl acrylate (BA) in the presence of different concentrations of HC was investigated. The synthesized acrylic–HC latexes are able to form films with promising properties for their potential application as bio-adhesives, where adhesiveness could be controlled by both the degree of neutralization and the moisture content.