ISSN:
0887-624X
Keywords:
emulsion polymerization
;
surfactants
;
oligomers
;
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
It is well known that the amount of surfactant must be carefully controlled during starve-fed emulsion polymerization processes. Too little surfactant leads to emulsion instability and coagulation, while too much surfactant leads to secondary particle formation. Although these relationships are qualitatively understood in the art, there is little quantitative basis to guide the synthetic chemist, especially in multistep starve-fed emulsion polymerization processes to make larger supermicron particles. We have developed a method, which will be described in a companion article, to control the surfactant level by monitoring the surface tension during polymerization. In order to quantitatively predict how much surfactant to add at any given time, one needs to know in advance the adsorption characteristics of the soap. Further complicating the matter is the formation of “in situ” or oligomeric surfactant during polymerization with aqueous initiators such as ammonium persulfate.This work demonstrates how to prepare surface-active oligomers and how to make latex particles using them as surfactant. First, we established the mass balance for the initiator-derived sulfate groups in seed latexes by conductometric, potentiometric, and iodometric titrations. Based on the characterization of seed latexes, a method for determining the effective sulfate concentration has been developed. When surface-active oligomers were used as the only surfactant, we obtained a series of monodisperse, supermicron copolymer latex particles with diameters up to 3.22 μm. This is a similar result to that obtained with a commercially made anionic surfactant. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Additional Material:
3 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pola.1995.080331006
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