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Robust nucleation in polymer‐stabilized miniemulsion polymerization
Author(s) -
Reimers J.,
Schork F. J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19960321)59:12<1833::aid-app4>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - miniemulsion , nucleation , polymerization , polymer science , materials science , polymer , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , engineering
The addition of a monomer soluble polymer to an emulsion was found to slow the effects of Ostwald ripening and impart diffusional stability to the droplets. Droplet nucleation was found to be the dominant nucleation mechanism in the polymerization of these polymer‐stabilized miniemulsions (as distinguished from true miniemulsions). As a result these nucleations were more robust, and the polymerizations were less sensitive to variations in the recipe or contaminants levels. This was evident in the rates of polymerization and in the particle numbers. The miniemulsion polymerizations were subjected to changes in initiator concentration, a water‐phase retarder, an oil‐phase inhibitor, and agitation. Particle number was found to vary with each of these factors to the powers of 0.002, 0.02, 0.0031, and −0.026, respectively. The corresponding exponents for conventional emulsion were one to two orders of magnitude greater. These results demonstrate the potential of miniemulsion polymerization to greatly reduce the variability in particle number found in conventional emulsion polymerizations. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.