In this paper we report the determination of partitioning of coalescing agents (organic co-solvents) in water-borne latex emulsions by means of a fluorescence method. An environment-sensitive fluorescent probe was copolymerized via emulsion polymerization. The presence of organic co-solvents inside the polymer particles is revealed by the photophysical properties of the probe. In particular, the position of the fluorescence emission maximum of co-polymerized can be used to measure the amount of coalescing agent present in the polymer particles. The spectral shifts are shown to be due to the softening of the matrix, rather than to solvation of the probe by the added co-solvent.

The process of film formation is of great importance for the application of organic coatings. In waterborne coatings, organic cosolvents are still indispensable, but regulations force the industry to reduce their amounts. Here we describe a method that uses the solvatochromic fluorescence of a probe molecule copolymerized in an emulsion polymerization process with different monomers to shed light on the partitioning of cosolvents in polymer latex materials. The formulation of the latex with organic cosolvents that are not very water soluble leads to a quantifiable redshift of the emission of the probe. The transfer of the cosolvent upon mixing of cosolvent-containing and cosolvent-free compartments can also be monitored.