The ring-opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OTS) was carried out in an Winsor I system with dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, sodium salt (DBSNa) as emulsifier and sulfuric acid as initiator, to clarify the mechanism of the polymerization, especially focusing on the nucleation loci, the rate of generation of nonvolatile molecules and the average diameter of generated polymer droplets.In the system where DBSNa concentration is higher than the critical micellar concentration (CMC), nonvolatile molecules were generated in the aqueous phase and their generation rate became higher with an increase in DBSNa concentration, while nonvolatile molecules were not generated at emulsifier concentrations lower than the CMC. These experimental results support that nucleation did not take place in the true aqueous phase, but originated from the micelles.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.