Article
On the modeling of microemulsion polymerization. Experimental validation
Fecha
2000Autor
Mendizábal, E. M.
Flores, J.
Puig, J.E.
Katime, I.
Lopez-Serrano, F.
Alvarez, J.
Institución
Resumen
A recently developed model for o/w microemulsion polymerization, tested only with styrene, is validated here by comparing its predictions with experimental data from the polymerization of three monomers with different chemical structures and water solubilities. The model reproduces well the kinetic data as well as the characteristics of the latex and polymer (particle size, average molar mass, number of polymer chains per particle, etc.) for the three monomers. The model predicts only two reaction rate intervals and that the conversion at which the maximum reaction rate occurs, depends only on the type of monomer and reaction conditions, in agreement with experimentally reported data. In the model, both micellar and homogeneous nucleation mechanisms are permitted, even for low water-solubility monomers such as styrene, because of the large amounts of surfactant typically employed in microemulsion polymerization. The role of these two mechanisms in the polymerization process is examined here. © Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 2000.