Microstructure, Kinetics, and Transport in Oil‐in‐Water Microemulsion Polymerizations

Abstract

The kinetics of microemulsion polymerization depend on the structure of the initial microemulsion and the transport of species between the aqueous domain, the micelles, and the polymer particles. The water solubility of the monomer and the proximity of the initial microemulsion composition to a phase boundary are key considerations for studying microemulsion polymerization kinetics and producing the desired products. Complications frequently arise in the synthesis of copolymers or the incorporation of controlled polymerization mechanisms because of the compartmentalized nature of microemulsion polymerizations.magnified image

Clinical and genetic factors predictive of mortality in early systemic sclerosis

“…2, 5–9 More recently, research has focused on polymerization in three‐component microemulsions (water, surfactant, and monomer), because they are simpler, and it is easier to understand the mechanisms of the reaction. 5, 10–28 Moreover, the presence of alcohol and electrolytes alters monomer partition. 23, 24…”

“…The industrial feasibility of microemulsion polymerization depends on optimizing the semicontinuous process for which it is necessary to perform systematic studies on the impact of monomer feed rate and monomer water solubility. 28 However, there are only a few reports on the effect of monomer water solubility on the kinetics of microemulsion polymerization. In the microemulsion polymerization of alkyl methacrylates and acrylates using the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), Capek et al 39, 40 found that there is an increase in polymerization rate with increasing chain length (lower water solubility).…”

Factorial design of nanosized polyisoprene synthesis via differential microemulsion polymerization

“…In the oil‐soluble case, the initiation has two main approaches for the production of radicals. In the monomer swollen polymer particles, formed radicals are desorbed to the aqueous phase and in the aqueous phase, formed radicals are generated from the fraction of the oil‐soluble initiator dissolved in water and initiate the growth of the polymer chains in both the aqueous phase and the monomer‐swollen micelles or polymer particles 11–13. The major disadvantage of microemulsion polymerization is the requirement of a high amount of surfactant.…”

The synthesis of translucent polymer nanolatexes via microemulsion polymerization

“…Microemulsion polymerization has demonstrated to be a promising technique for the synthesis of nanolatexes [8,9]. However, microemulsion polymerization commonly suffers from the high amounts of emulsifier that are required to obtain the initial thermodynamically stable mixture of monomer in water.…”