REACTION-KINETICS OF VINYL-ACETATE EMULSION POLYMERIZATION

Transport of free radicals out of latex particles into the aqueous phase plays an important role in the emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate. This so-called 'desorption' process involves chain transfer to monomer which generates a mobile and rather stable monomer-unit free radical followed by the diffusion of this free radical out of the latex particle. A kinetic model is developed based on the reaction mechanisms of such an emulsion system. The experimental data available in the literature are used to test the model under various polymerization conditions. Reasonable agreement between the model predictions and experimental data is observed.