The kinetics of the emulsifier‐free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and sodium styrene sulfonate have been examined over a range of comonomer compositions. The rate of polymerization was found to increase dramatically in the presence of small amounts of sodium styrene sulfonate. This increase is attributed to the increased number of particles formed when sodium styrene sulfonate was present and to a gel effect enhanced by ion association. At low concentrations of functional comonomer, where a monodisperse product was obtained, a homogeneous nucleation mechanism of particle generation is proposed. At higher concentrations, broader and then bimodal size distributions were obtained, and this is ascribed to significant aqueous phase polymerization of sodium styrene sulfonate. The water‐soluble homopolymer is supposed to act as a locus of polymerization. The occurrence of this aqueous phase side reaction and the generation of secondary particles makes impossible the preparation of highly sulfonated polystyrene latexes by batch or seeded batch emulsion copolymerization.

During the past two decades, an improved understanding of the operative particle deformation mechanisms during latex film formation has been gained. For a particular colloidal dispersion, the Routh-Russel deformation maps predict the dominant mechanism for particle deformation under a particular set of conditions (evaporation rate, temperature, and initial film thickness). Although qualitative tests of the Routh-Russel model have been reported previously, a systematic study of the relationship between the film formation conditions and the resulting water concentration profiles is lacking. Here, the water Published in Langmuir (2014), vol, 30, pp 9672-9681 2 distributions during the film formation of a series of acrylic copolymer latexes with varying glass transition temperature, T g (values of 22, 11, 4 and 19 ºC) have been obtained using GARField nuclear magnetic resonance profiling. A significant reduction in the rate of water loss from the latex copolymer with the lowest T g was found, which is explained by its relatively low polymer viscosity enabling the growth of a coalesced skin layer. The set of processing parameters where the drying first becomes impeded occurs at the boundary between the capillary deformation and the wet sintering regimes of the Routh-Russel model, which provides strong confirmation of the model's validity. An inverse correlation between the model's dimensionless control parameter and the dimensionless drying time is discovered, which is useful for the design of fast-drying waterborne films.

SynopsisPrevious attempts to prepare monodisperse styrene/sodium styrene sulfonate copolymer latexes by batch, seeded, and semicontinuous emulsion polymerization were unsuccessful at high concentrations of the functional comonomer. Broad, and sometimes bimodal, size distributions, and large amounts of water soluble homopolymer were obtained. After removal of free monomer, solute and adsorbed homopolymer and copolymer, the overall incorporation of the functional comonomer was found to be low. To overcome these problems, a two stage "shot-growth" or in situ seeding technique was developed. A first stage copolymerization was carried out with a low concentration of sodium styrene sulfonate: the purpose of the functional comonomer was to enhance the stability and regulate the size of the seed particles. When this reaction had reached high conversion (> 90%), a second stage monomer mixture was added. The ratio of styrene to sodium styrene sulfonate in this mixture determined the final surface charge density. The mechanism by which the NaSS is incorporated in the polymer particles is considered to be by solution copolymerization with solute styrene monomer to form surface active oligoradicals. These radicals adsorb on the particle surface, initiate polymerization and become inextricably bound, preventing their transfer back to the aqueous phase. By this means, it was possible to vary independently the particle size and surface charge density. High concentrations of functional comonomer could be polymerized without undue wastage (incorporations were only slightly less than 100%) or loss of monodispersity. In extreme cases, the area per functional group fell below the theoretical minimum, indicating considerable hydration of the surface layers. (1982).University,

No abstract

The kinetics of the surfactant‐free emulsion polymerisation of styrene have been studied. Reactions were sampled at several stages throughout their course, and the samples characterized by electron microscopy, gravimetric weights analysis and gel permeation chromatography, After an initial period of particle nucleation and coagulation, the reaction proceeds at a constant number density. The theories developed for emulsion polymerisation in the presence of surfactant above its critical micelle concentration might be expected, in Interval II, to apply to the surfactant‐free system if due regard is taken of the lower number densities and larger particle sizes developed. The results are in best accord with theories invoking a surface phase polymerisation mechanism. None of these theories predict a bimodel molecular weight distribution as found here and which is ascribed to polymerisation in two loci. The activation energy was found to be the same as for surfactant containing emulsion polymerisations.