On the modeling of microemulsion polymerization

Abstract

Microemulsion and emulsion polymerization have many similarities but also important differences in reaction kinetics. The large amount of surfactant required in microemulsion polymerization causes a peculiar kinetic behavior (i.e. only two reaction rate periods, continuous generation of particles through the entire reaction and the production of nanoparticles with a narrow particle size distribution), which needs to be understood. These key distinctive features of microemulsion polymerization are explained in terms of the existing framework for the modeling of emulsion polymerization. To reproduce experimental data on microemulsion polymerization of styrene, the model predicts a large desorption rate and the occurrence of both homogeneous and micellar nucleation mechanisms to account for the continuous nucleation of particles. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.