Styrene polymerized in an oil-in-water microemulsion

Microemulsions of styrene dispersed in water using sodium dodecyl sulphate and pentanol and polystyrene, isolated after the polymerizations were carried out to completion, were studied by photon correlation spectroscopy and time-averaged intensity measurements. Microemulsions contained droplets 40.8 nm in diameter. It was found that the size distributions of polystyrene were bimodal. The results indicate that smaller droplets in a microemulsion provide an increased surface area which can complete with micelles in the capture of radicals. The bimodal nature of the products is evidence for two mechanisms of initiation and particle growth.