Thin Layer Copolymerization of Methyl methacrylate and Butyl acrylate in Concentrated Emulsion

Summary In this study, stable concentrated emulsions of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate (MMA-BA) were first prepared using sodium dodecyl sulfate/cetyl alcohol (SDS/CA) as composite surfactants and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as liquid film reinforcer. A novel polymerization method, thin layer copolymerization of the concentrated emulsion was subsequently carried out with benzoyl peroxide/N, N’-dimethyl phenylamine (BPO/DMA) as redox initiators at low temperature. The effects of the thickness and area of the thin layer, the outside temperature, as well as environment of the polymerization on the amount of volatilization of water and monomer in the system were investigated. It has been found that the liquid film reinforcers and the polymerization environment were responsible for the polymerization stability. In addition, the conversion-time relationships of the thin layer polymerization and the tube polymerization, as well as the effect of polymerization environment on the polymerization rate were also investigated. The size and distribution of particle diameter and morphology of latex particles were determined with transmission electron microscope (TEM).