PARTITION OF CARBOXYLIC-ACIDS IN AN EMULSION COPOLYMERIZATION SYSTEM

Reaction in the aqueous phase is often significant in emulsion polymerization systems that contain one or more water-soluble monomers. Accurate prediction of the partition of monomers between the aqueous, particle, and droplet phases is necessary for determining reaction rates, copolymer compositions, and surface properties of the latex particles. A model for predicting the partition of monomers between the various phases has been developed for an emulsion copolymer system. A method for experimentally obtaining thermodynamic interaction parameters that are often not available in the literature has also been developed. This method was applied to two carboxylic acid/styrene systems. The model predictions of the monomer partitioning for these systems were in good agreement with experimental results measured from batch emulsion copolymerization samples. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.