Microemulsion polymerization of styrene stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulfate and short-chain alcohols

Styrene microemulsion polymerizations with different short-chain alcohols [n-CiH2i+1OH (CiOH), where i = 4, 5, or 6] as the cosurfactant were investigated. Sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium persulfate (SPS) were used as the surfactant and initiator, respectively. The desorption of free radicals out of latex particles played an important role in the polymerization kinetics. An Arrhenius expression for the radical desorption rate coefficient was obtained from the polymerizations at temperatures of 50-70 degreesC. The polymerization kinetics were not very sensitive to the alkyl chain length of alcohols compared with the temperature effect. The maximal polymerization rate in decreasing order was C6OH > C4OH > C5OH. This was related to the differences in the water solubility of CiOH and the structure of the oil-water interface. The feasibility of using a water-insoluble dye to study the particle nucleation mechanisms was also evaluated. The parameters chosen for the study of the particle nucleation mechanisms include the cosurfactant type (CiOH), the SPS concentration, and the initiator type (oil-soluble 2,2 ' -azobisisobutyronitrile versus water-soluble SPS). (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.