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Influence of disproportionated rosin acid soap on the emulsion polymerization kinetics of styrene
Author(s) -
Mayer M. J. J.,
Meuldijk J.,
Thoenes D.
Publication year - 1995
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/app.1995.070560201
Subject(s) - emulsion polymerization , polymerization , kinetics , styrene , rosin , polymer chemistry , particle (ecology) , materials science , chain transfer , particle size , coagulation , chemical engineering , chemistry , radical polymerization , copolymer , organic chemistry , polymer , physics , resin acid , psychology , oceanography , geology , quantum mechanics , psychiatry , engineering
The effect of disproportionated rosin acid soap (DRAS) on the emulsion polymerization kinetics of styrene has been studied. Batch experiments reveal a significant influence of chain transfer and limited particle coagulation on the polymerization process. For the recipes studied, the number of growing chains in the emulsion and consequently the polymerization rate were found to be independent of the particle number during the interval of coagulation. However, for relatively large particles ( d p ≈ 100 nm), the polymerization rate was proportional to the particle number, indicating Smith–Ewart case II kinetics. These effects have been shown to be well predicted by model calculations using a radical population balance over the particles. Since DRAS is derived from naturally occurring constituents found in pine trees, its performance, and with that the properties of the product latex, may vary significantly. However, if the performance of DRAS is known, the recipe and process conditions can be optimized. For this reason a procedure has been developed to quantify the performance of DRAS from the simple batch experiments discussed in this paper, the polymerization kinetics, and the information obtained about the coagulation process. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.