?Continuous? emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization for the synthesis of monodisperse polymeric latex particles

Poly(methyl methacrylate) nanolatexes with high solid contents prepared by semi-continuous emulsion polymerization in the presence of oil-soluble initiators

“…As it is well-known, soapless emulsion polymerization (SEP) method with no surfactants or trace of surfactants can be used to fabricate monodisperse polymeric latex particles with clean surfaces [14][15][16]. The latex particles fabricated by the SEP method are usually in the range of submicrometer or larger [17][18][19].…”

Emulsion Polymerization

“…Removal of the surfactant, either directly or by desorption, can lead to coagulation or flocculation of the destabilized latex. Surfactant-free emulsion polymerization, involving no added surfactant, is a useful approach to solving this problem [Chainey et al, 1987;Li and Salovey, 2000;Ni et al, 2001]. The process uses an initiator yielding initiator radicals that impart surface-active properties to the polymer particles.…”

Latex Particles

“…Thus, an evaluation of the maximum is problematic. A continuous emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization procedure for the synthesis of monodisperse, cross-linked particles (styrene/divinylbenzene and methyl methacrylate/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) has been described [141]. The report indicates that the final particle size distribution is often uniform but even small changes in initiator concentration or increasing temperature (from 80 to 95 8C) caused polydisperse particle size distributions.…”