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

Emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate in the presence of hydrophilic seed polymer particles

I. Capek

Polymer Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, CS-84236 Bratislava

Abstract: The emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate, initiated by ammonium peroxodisulfate in the presence of crosslinked poly(ethyl acrylate) seed particles, was kinetically investigated at 60°C by conventional gravimetric and dilatometric methods. Two polymer latexes, based on an incompatible pair of polymers, were prepared by a two-stage emulsion polymerization. In the presence of poly(ethyl acrylate-co-hexamethylene diacrylate) particles, the rate of polymerization was found to be proportional to the 0.55, 0.56, and 0.65 order with respect to the initiator concentration for the systems with 1.16, 2.32, and 3.47 mol dm^-3 butyl acrylate. Here the number of polymer particles was found to be proportional to the 0.12, 0.10, and 0.22 order with respect to the initiator concentration and to the 0.2, 0.31, and 0.25 order with respect to the emulsifier concentration, for the same systems of butyl acrylate.In the presence of poly(ethyl acrylate-co-divinylbenzene) particles the rate of polymerization was proportional to the 0.56 order with respect to the initiator concentration. The number of final polymer particles was proportional to the 0.07 and 0.51 order with respect to the initiator and emulsifier concentration, respectively. The rate of polymerization increases slightly with the increasing concentration of butyl acrylate. Deviation from the emulsion polymerization predictions is discussed in terms of the phase separation in seed particles, the reverse diffusion of monomer and the different polymerization activity in the monomer-swollen emulsifier micelles and the monomer-swollen seed polymer particles.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 454a481.pdf

Chemical Papers 45 (4) 481–497 (1991)