Preparation of the stimuli-responsive photochromic paper by reactive mixing of cellulosic paper with spiropyran-based functional latex

Polymeric materials based on spiropyran can be responsive to the external stimuli including light and heat, so these materials have some applications such as anti-counterfeiting printing, reversible memory photo device and nanodetectors. In this study, an epoxy functionalized photochromic latex containing spiropyran was prepared and then it was processed by reactive mixing with cellulosic paper. The chemical reaction between epoxy functional groups of the latex and hydroxyl groups of the cellulose was investigated through FTIR analysis. Thermal properties of the samples were studied by DSC and TGA analysis. The results showed that heating of the sample after preparation of the photochromic blends resulted in more homogeneous and efficient reaction between the cellulose and photochromic latex. In order to observe photochromic properties of the prepared stimuli-responsive papers, they were exposed to UV irradiation and color changes were investigated in different polar media

Keywords:

emulsion , functional latex , photochromic , cellulosic paper , reactive mixing