Print: | ISSN 0256-1115 |
Online: | ISSN 1975-7220 |
Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering,
Vol.20, No.2, 399-406, 2003 Monodisperse Micron-sized Polystyrene Particles by Seeded Polymerization Using Reactive Macrosurfactants
Monodisperse micron-sized polystyrene particles could be prepared through a two-staged seeded swelling and polymerization method using reactive surfactants. The seed was obtained by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. To prepare conventional surfactant-free monomer emulsion droplet in swelling process, a tri-block diol diacrylate (t-BDDA), which is poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) tri-block copolymer containing two chain ends capped with acryloyl chloride, was employed as a reactive surfactant instead of conventional surfactants. Thermodynamic consideration of the effect of monomer droplet size and interfacial tension on the swelling process ensured that two-staged monomer swelling could be effectively performed by using t-BDDA as a surface-active macromonomer. From the surface tension measurement and optical microscope observation, it was found that the t-BDDA had a favorable surface activity when the monomer emulsion was prepared under its cloud point. From the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, it was found that most of the t-BDDA resided on the final particle surfaces.
Keywords:
Monodisperse Micron-Sized Polystyrene Particles; Seeded Polymerization; tri-Block Diol Diacrylate (t-BDDA); Swelling Process; Surface-Active Macromonomer
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