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Factorial experimental design approach in semicontinuous emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate to study the effect of process variables
Author(s) -
Mishra Sujata,
Singh Jagbir,
Choudhary Veena
Publication year - 2009
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.30237
Subject(s) - monomer , emulsion polymerization , methyl methacrylate , factorial experiment , polymer chemistry , pulmonary surfactant , emulsion , polymerization , methacrylate , chemical engineering , fractional factorial design , particle size , materials science , chemistry , polymer , organic chemistry , mathematics , statistics , engineering
This article describes the effect of various process variables in the semicontinuous emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate. A series of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) emulsions were prepared using ammonium persulphate as initiator in absence and presence of Dowfax 2AI as surfactant. The effect of process variables such as initiator concentration, monomer concentration (solid content), surfactant concentration, reaction temperature, monomer feeding time, and holding time were systematically studied on monomer conversion, particle size, gel content, and molecular weight using a two‐level fractional factorial experimental method. Analysis of fractional factorial design revealed that surfactant concentration, monomer concentration, initiator concentration, and monomer feeding time affect all the properties. However, the surfactant concentration and the interaction effect of initiator and monomer feeding time are the key variables influencing the properties of PMMA latex. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009