Plasticizer free caulks and sealants comprising waterborne acrylic polymeric composites and methods for making the same

The present invention provides aqueous caulk or sealant compositions that are substantially free of any plasticizer comprising an aqueous emulsion copolymer having a broad measured glass transition temperature by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), soft phases and hard phases, and two separate Tan Delta transition temperatures as measured by dimensional mechanical analysis (DMA), (ii) one or more filler in a filler to binder ratio of up to 4:1, and (iii) from 0.2 to 5 wt. % as solids, based on the total weight of the composition, of one or more thickener or rheology modifier. In addition, the invention provides methods of making the composition comprising polymerizing by gradually adding from a flask into a polymerization vessel a soft monomer composition, and, after feeding at least 20 wt. % of such composition in the vessel, gradually adding into the flask a hard comonomer composition, feeding all flask contents into the vessel and polymerizing.