UNIFORM NONSPHERICAL LATEX-PARTICLES AS MODEL INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORKS

Polystyrene/polystyrene latex interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization of styrene–divinylbenzene mixtures in crosslinked monodisperse polystyrene particles. The resulting latexes comprised uniform nonspherical particles, e.g., ellipsodal and egg‐like singlets, symmetry and asymmetric doublets, and ice cream cone‐like and popcorn‐like multiplets. The nonspherical particles, which were formed by separation of the second‐stage monomer from the crosslinked seed network during swelling and polymerization, are excellent models for studying phase separation in IPN's. The degree of phase separation increased with increasing degree of crosslinking of the seed particles, monomer/polymer swelling ratio, polymerization temperature, and seed particle size, and with decreasing divinylbenzene concentration in the swelling monomer. The results were consistent with a thermodynamic analysis based on the elastic‐retractile force of the polymer network, the monomer/polymer mixing force, and interfacial tension force. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.