Chemistry and Materials Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224- 3224 (Print) ISSN 2225- 0956 (Online) Vol.7 No.7, 2015 20 Formulation of Emulsion Paint from a Copolymer Composite of Dimethylol Urea/Polystyrene A. Akinterinwa*, S. A. Osemeahon, I.I. Nkafamiya and P.M. Dass Department of Chemistry, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola P.M.B. 2076, Adamawa State, Nigeria Abstract Dimethylol urea (DMU) with reduced formaldehyde emission was synthesized in this work and copolymerized by blending with polystyrene (PS) obtained by constituting waste expanded polystyrene into liquid form. The determined physical properties of the copolymer composite (i.e. DMU/PS) compared to the pure DMU revealed improvements in its disadvantageous properties such as hardness and moisture uptake. Paint samples were formulated using the pure DMU, DMU/PS and commercially obtained acrylic PVA binder resin, and analyzed. While the DMU/PS and APVA paints passed, the pure DMU failed such critical coating tests as flexibility, adhesion and blistering. Again, the DMU/PS and PVA paints show good chemical resistance while the DMU paint blisters in the alkaline medium. However, all paint samples passed tackiness, opacity and stability, and exhibit acceptable pH, viscosity, and drying time. Keywords: Dimethylol urea, Polystyrenes, Copolymer composite, Emulsion paint 1. Introduction Painting is unique human activities that have helped the human race to contribute significantly in earning a better livelihood, building a better and more beautified world for ourselves. Coatings on material items in our environment has presented either or combined functions including; protective, decorative/aesthetic, signal and atop all, durability [1]. As much as paint production and application is playing these vital roles, it has also come with quite some limitations. And scientists never gave up on minimizing, or even eliminating these limitations in the quest to build a safe and healthy world of paints and coatings. The binder is the paint’s component responsible for the formation of the adherent and cohesive film. And based on the medium in which it’s soluble or dispersible (i.e. organic solvent or water), paint can be classified as oil and water/emulsion based [2]. Even though of good performance and durable qualities such as good chemical, water, weather and heat resistance, adhesion, full gloss, flexibility, etc., the utility of oil paints has been gravely challenged by the evolution of volatile organic compounds (VOC) being the solvents typically used in their formulation. The evolution of VOC being both health and environmental issue has been seriously considered; hence the restrictions imposed on it by authorized regulatory bodies, driving the industry towards the production of paints with little or no VOC [3, 4]. Among the three basic methods that have been used in production and application of coatings with the omission of VOC, replacement of VOC with water in emulsion paints is the cheapest and most sustainable procedure compared to powder and UV-drying coating [5]. Water paints even though fundamentally inferior in their properties compared to the oil paint, is environmental friendly [6]. Urea formaldehyde (UF) is a cheap water soluble resin, which cures to form a clear, glossy and hard thermosetting film. It is suitable as a binder for water paint, but intrinsic properties such as formaldehyde emission, brittleness and moisture uptake limits its application [7, 8]. Durability problems associated with UF films is due to its brittleness and poor water resistance, while formaldehyde emission above some threshold concentration is hazardous [7, 9]. Being formaldehyde emission and moisture uptake reduction measure as reported [10]. DMU with lower formaldehyde to urea ratio was synthesized in this work, and copolymerized with PS resin obtained by constituting expanded polystyrene which is a waste product into liquid form. Formaldehyde emission and moisture uptake is expected to be further reduced in the DMU/PS copolymer composite due to the reduced amount of DMU, interaction between the components and the hydrophobic nature of the PS. PS is also expected to impact flexibility, hence reducing brittleness. The aim of this research therefore is to produce a binder, emulsion paint from DMU/PS copolymer composite binder. This is hoped to potentially contribute in the reduction of VOCs in coating materials, and will also be economical while playing a sustainability role in waste recycling to useful and environmental friendly products. 2. Materials and Method Formaldehyde, urea, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, sodium hydroxide, sulphuric acid, butanol, sucrose and ammonia are analytical grades (i.e. products from the British Drug House, BDH). Calgon, kaolin, anti-skining agent, nicofoam, genepour, bermocoll, anti-foam, drier, troystan, dispersant, sodium carbonate, titanium dioxide,