AB CROSS-LINKED POLYMER LATEXES VIA CONCENTRATED EMULSION POLYMERIZATION

A series of polycaprolactone (PCL)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) AB crosslinked polymers (ABCP) in the form of latexes were prepared via the concentrated emulsion polymerization method. PCL diols were first reacted with acryloyl chloride in toluene to form a solution of vinyl-terminated PCL. Dissolving the methyl methacrylate monomer and a suitable initiator in this solution, the solution was employed to prepare a concentrated emulsion in water. After completing the polymerization of the concentrated emulsion, latexes of ABCP were obtained, which, depending on their composition, can be either elastomers or tough plastic materials. The toughness of PMMA is greatly improved in both cases. The effects of the PCL chain-length, composition and self-crosslinking of PCL on the mechanical properties were investigated.