ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

The Kinetics of Emulsion Copolymerization of Nethyl Methacrylate and Ethyl Acrylate in the Presence of Methanol

I. Capek

Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences

Abstract: The effect of methanol on the kinetics of the emulsion copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with ethyl acrylate, initiated by ammonium peroxodisulfate in the presence of a blend of anionic and nonionic emulsifiers was investigated at 60°C by the conventional gravimetric method. The copolymerizations under batch conditions were conducted to both low and high conversion. It was found that methanol unexpectedly strongly reduced the rate of copolymerization which decreases with the increasing diluent concentration. The decrease of the rate of polymerization was discussed in terms of the dilution of recipe ingredients and of the desorption of radicals from polymer particles. The rate of polymerization was found to increase with increasing conversion up to 70 or 80 %. The high rate of polymerization at high conversions was ascribed to propagation of the more reactive ethyl acrylate monomer and the gel effect. The average particle diameter increases with increasing of the diluent concentration.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 464a232.pdf

Chemical Papers 46 (4) 232–238 (1992)