Synthesis of nanocolorants with crosslinked shell by miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by waterborne polyurethane

Nanocolorants were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization, in which waterborne polyurethane was used as surfactant for the first time. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were utilized to confirm the particle diameters and particle size distributions (PSD). The results indicated that nanocolorants with relatively small particle size diameters and narrow particle size distributions could be easily prepared by this method. Simultaneously, the particle size could be controlled by adjusting the concentration of waterborne polyurethane surfactant (WPU), and the obtained nanocolorants exhibited high stability against electrolyte, lightness, and strong color depth owing to the nanoscale effects of the nanocolorant particles. Furthermore, the prepared nanocolorants achieved superior migration fastness and good thermal stability.     

SiO2溶胶在微滴乳液聚合中的原位纳米复合

本文提出将正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)的非水sol-gel反应与单体的微滴乳液聚合技术相结合,制备聚丙烯酸酯/二氧化硅纳米复合乳液。首先采用凝胶时间的测定与动态光散射等手段研究TEOS在甲酸催化下的非水sol-gel反应动力学,表明当甲酸/TEOS的摩尔比大于6,有利于形成颗粒状纳米二氧化硅溶胶。以硅烷偶联剂KH-570对非水溶胶原位改性,然后引入丙烯酸酯共聚单体中,研究硅溶胶的存在对单体微滴乳液聚合的影响。结果表明,聚合动力学与单体的微滴乳液聚合基本相似,但二氧化硅的引入改变了单体微滴的均一性和剪切分散的稳定性,导致乳胶粒径逐渐增大,粒径分布变宽。复合乳胶粒是若干无机粒子以微相区被包覆于有机聚合物中的纳米复合结构形态。     

微滴乳液聚合制备PDMS/SiO2纳米复合材料

采用超声分散的方法,以少量八甲基环四硅氧烷(D₄)对硅溶胶粒子进行表面接枝改性。然后在改性硅溶胶存在下,以十二烷基苯磺酸(DBSA)为乳化剂兼催化剂进行D₄的微滴乳液聚合,得到聚硅氧烷(PDMS)/二氧化硅(SiO₂)纳米复合乳液。采用FTIR、TGA、纳米粒度仪、TEM和拉力机分别对样品进行了表征。结果表明:采用超声分散的方法,能够有效地实现硅溶胶粒子的表面改性。通过微滴乳液聚合得到的复合乳胶粒是聚合物包覆二氧化硅粒子的核壳结构形态。SiO₂的引入提高了有机硅复合膜力学性能,增强了热稳定性。     

Polymeric particles prepared with fluorinated surfmer

Fluoro-containing particles have been obtained by miniemulsion polymerization of styrene and n-butyl methacrylate in presence of fluorinated monomer mono-fluoroalkyl maleate (MFM) which acts as a surfmer providing efficient stability to obtained dispersion and functionalization of particle surface with fluoro-groups. Increase of the MFM concentration in reaction mixture reduces the particle size and dispersions with narrower particle size distribution can be obtained. Blends of fluorinated latexes with styrene-butadiene copolymer latex were examined with regard to formation of low free energy surfaces. It has been shown that blends containing MFM-functionalized polymeric particles possess more hydrophobic surfaces then similar latex films, where particles prepared by polymerization of expensive fluorinated monomer have been applied.     

Comparison of styrene reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer polymerization in a miniemulsion system stabilized by ammonlysis poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) and sodium dodecyl sulfate

In this study, we conducted the reversible addition–fragmentation chain‐transfer (RAFT) polymerization of styrene (St) in a miniemulsion system stabilized by two different stabilizers, ammonlysis poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) (SMA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with identical reaction conditions. The main objective was to compare the polymerization kinetics, living character, latex stability, and particle morphology. The macro‐RAFT agent used in both systems was SMA, which was obtained by RAFT solution polymerization mediated by 1‐phenylethyl phenyldithioacetate. The experimental results show that the St RAFT miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by SDS exhibited a better living character than that stabilized by ammonlysis SMA. The final latices were very stable in two systems, but different stabilizers had an obvious effect on the polymerization kinetics, living character, and particle morphology. All of the particles obtained by RAFT miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by SDS were solid, but an obvious core–shell structure was observed in the miniemulsion system stabilized by ammonlysis SMA. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Synthesis of polystyrene encapsulated nanosaponite composite latex via miniemulsion polymerization

The synthesis and characterization of polystyrene encapsulated nanosaponite composite suspension via miniemulsion polymerization are reported in this study. The particle size of nanoclay and its pre-modification are critical to successfully producing a stable complex suspension. The final products were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectra, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thin window energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and light scattering. The results show that ar-vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (VBTAC) modified nanosaponite could be fully exfoliated and encapsulated inside the polystyrene latex via in situ miniemulsion polymerization. When the concentration of hexadecane (a co-stabilizer used in the miniemulsion polymerization) was high, the final composite particles are composed mainly of spherical particles with size less than 100 nm, and a small number of hemispherical or bowl-structured particles of size ∼100 nm to 1000 nm. The phase separation due to the existence of large amounts of hexadecane accounted for the formation of a variety of morphologies.     

Convenient method for removing and concentrating hydrophobic organic compounds from water with amphiphilic polymers

A stable fluoroacrylate copolymer emulsion was successfully prepared by miniemulsion polymerization with fluoroacrylate, lauryl methylacrylate, and methyl methacrylate as monomers. Extremely hydrophobic fluoroacrylate, instead of conventional cosurfactants, was used as a reactive cosurfactant to stabilize the miniemulsions. The results indicated that fluoroacrylate retarded Ostwald ripening and allowed the production of stable miniemulsions. The chemical compositions of the copolymer were studied with Fourier transform infrared and ¹H‐NMR. The average composition of the copolymers prepared with miniemulsions was in good agreement with the feed ratio according to ¹H‐NMR from the integration ratios corresponding to typical protons of the individual monomers. The particle size distribution and morphology of the latex particles were determined with laser particle analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The particle size of the latex underwent no change in the process of miniemulsion polymerization, but the particle size distributions were broader than those of conventional emulsion polymerization. The effects of various reaction parameters, including the temperature and concentrations of the emulsifier and initiator, on the miniemulsion polymerization were also investigated, and the polymerization rate and conversion increased with increasing concentrations of nonylphenol polyethoxylate (with an average of 40 ethylene oxide units per molecule), cetyltrimethylammonium, and 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 641–647, 2007     

Characterization of Miniemulsion Polymerization by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Summary Emulsion polymerization is one of the major techniques for the manufacture of adhesives, coatings, thermoplastics and elastomers. In miniemulsion polymerization, relatively stable oil droplets within a size range of 500 to 5000 ? are prepared by emulsifying a monomer in a medium, generally water, with the aid of a surfactant and a hydrophobic compound. Droplet size and size distribution are by far the most important parameters of miniemulsion because they affect directly both the miniemulsion stability and droplet nucleation. Therefore, the understanding of the mechanism ruling miniemulsion polymerization strongly depends on an accurate determination of the particle size. Small-angle neutron scattering has been used for the polymerization study of the 1,3,5-tris(trifluoropropylmethyl)cyclotrisiloxane (F₃). In particular, the shape and the size of the particles before and after the anionic polymerization were sought. Surprisingly, the sizes obtained are of the order of 250 ? which ranges this system rather into the microemulsion domain and the observed growth in the mean particle size (25%) implies that there is no full preservation of the particles during the polymerization reaction. On the other hand, the contribution to the scattering of a second population of smaller particles (38 ?) with a broad size distribution in the polymerized sample is attributed to secondary products leading to a 80% polymerization reaction yield.     

Tracking the fate of seed particles in dispersion polymerization: Preparation and application of fluorescent polymer particles

The mechanism of seeded dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was investigated by employing submicron fluorescent polymer particles as seed. These poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles, containing fluorescent material, were synthesized by a two‐step miniemulsion polymerization process and then applied in the seeded dispersion polymerization of MMA. The seed particles were located by tracking the fluorescent signal in the micron‐size final particles. The analysis of the final particles showed that most of them contained more than two seed particles. On average, there were 3.7 seed particles in each final particle as obtained under the given conditions of the seeded dispersion polymerization. The location of the seed within the particles being well‐separated from each other was considered to indicate that the aggregation of the particles did not occur immediately, but took place after some particle growth had first taken place. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Seeded emulsion polymerization of n-butyl acrylate utilizing miniemulsions

Nucleation of polymer particles in the seeded emulsion polymerization of n-butyl acrylate (BuA) was studied through experiments designed to control the amount of new particles formed. The results show that for the batch and semicontinuous seeded polymerization of BuA, a small amount of new particles was formed in the system in which the monomer was added neat, whereas a singificant amount of new particles was formed when the monomer was added as a miniemulsion. This suggests that new particles formed in the miniemulsion process were from nucleation of the monomer droplets. These experiments also showed that monomer-droplet nucleation decreased with increasing seed concentration in the reactor. For the seeded semicontinuous polymerizations, monomer-droplet nucleation decreases with decreasing BuA miniemulsion feed rate. The results also show that monomerdroplet nucleation takes place whenever miniemulsion droplets exist in the reactor. This study suggests that miniemulsions can be used to control the particle size distribution of a polymer latex system.     

Styrene miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by carboxylated polyurethane. I. Stability and polymerization

Stability of the styrene miniemulsion costabilized by carboxylated polyurethane resins was investigated. The shelf life and the droplet size were measured. The results show that styrene miniemulsion costabilized by carboxylated polyurethane can be prepared although it is not as efficient as is hexadecane. The shelf life of the miniemulsion is influenced by the amount of the polyurethane and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The alkaline condition and the smaller molecular weight of the polyurethane are in favor of the stability of the miniemulsion. The polymerization results show that the hydrophility of the particle or droplet surface plays an important role in the process of the nucleation and polymerization. Homogeneous nucleation and droplet nucleation coexist in these systems. Nucleation lasts to 40–60% conversion of the monomer in the acid medium, but it continues until the end of the polymerization in the alkaline medium. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1933–1940, 2003     

Relationship between droplet size and fluid flow characteristics in miniemulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate

Static mixer (SM) can be applied for emulsification, but the fundamental understanding of the nature of fluid flow and mixing in static mixers, is however poor. Droplet size is a very important parameter in miniemulsion systems and affects strongly the mechanism of particle formation in polymerization reactions. In this study, static mixer was used as homogenization device for emulsification of methyl methacrylate (MMA). Re number (Re) was obtained for SM inserted tube in different flow rates. It was demonstrated the nature of fluid flow was turbulent under our experimental conditions. The relationship between droplet size—the most important variable in our study—and Weber number (We) was investigated. The results showed that the ratio of the droplet size to the pipe diameter was fit as an exponential function with an order of −0.35. The polymerization of created droplets under certain We values by SM showed that it is possible to obtain a reasonable 1 : 1 copy of droplets to the particles. All these, indicate that using relationship between We and droplet size allow one to obtain acceptable condition of droplet nucleation in miniemulsion polymerization. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Effect of synthesis variables on the fluorescence properties of CdSe-polystyrene latexes

The development of photoluminescent materials based on the incorporation of quantum dots (QDs) into polymeric latexes has gained importance due to the multiple potential applications. Through the process of miniemulsion polymerization it is possible to encapsulate quantum particles into polymer matrix to provide both chemical stability and to maintain emission properties. The polymerization process was achieved with continuous magnetic stirring and nitrogen atmosphere. Cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as surfactant at concentration levels of 1.3 × 10^-3, 3.2 × 10^-3 and 5.4 × 10^-3 M. The initiator 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was used at 0.50 and 0.75 wt% and CdSe QDS were used at 0.075, 0.15 and 0.225 wt%, both in relation to monomer content. A STEM study on the composite latexes and later a statistical study on the measurement of polymer particle diameter let us corroborate that the increment in surfactant concentration produces a decrement in polymer particle size. The obtained composite latexes were stable and showed fluorescence by excitation with UV light. The spectrofluorometry studies indicated that in composite latexes fluorescent emission was a function of polymer particle size, showing higher intensity those formulations with smaller surfactant concentrations and bigger polymer particle size.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(styrene‐co‐butyl acrylate)/clay nanocomposite latexes in miniemulsion by AGET ATRP

Polymer/clay nanocomposite latexes in the form of positively charged nanoparticles were synthesized by a newly developed initiating system, activators generated by electron transfer (AGET), which has been employed in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). These clay‐dispersed latexes were synthesized using AGET ATRP of styrene and butyl acrylate in a miniemulsion system in which, ascorbic acid as a reducing agent was added drop wise to reduce termination reactions. Particle size and particle size distribution of resulted nanocomposite latexes were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS). These latexes were in the range of 138 to 171 nm in size. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to characterize the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the resultant copolymer nanocomposites. GPC traces showed that polymers of narrow molecular weight distribution and low Polydispersity Index (PDI) have been synthesized; this clearly shows ATRP reaction is conducted successfully. By increasing nanoclay content, molecular weight of the nanocomposites decreases. The presence of the nanofiller increases the thermal stability of the nanocomposites as investigated by thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Glass transition temperature of nanocomposites increases compared with the neat copolymer which was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed sphere morphology of polymer particles synthesized by miniemulsion polymerization. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that mixed intercalated and exfoliated morphology is obtained. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

细乳液聚合制备二氧化钛/聚苯乙烯复合微球及其形貌分析

采用细乳液聚合法,以γ-甲基丙烯酰氧基丙基三甲基硅烷改性的TiO2粒子为核,制备了核壳结构的TiO2/聚苯乙烯(PS)复合微球。研究了超声细乳化时间、乳化剂十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)的浓度、TiO2用量对细乳液粒径及其分布的影响。通过纳米粒度与Zeta电位分析仪、红外光谱、透射电镜等分析手段对产物进行了表征。结果表明,随着超声细乳化时间的增加,初始液滴的粒径变小。聚合后的乳胶粒粒径随着SDS浓度的增大而减小;TiO2用量不足导致乳胶粒粒径分布变宽,且出现双峰;制备所得的TiO2/PS复合微球粒度分布较为均匀,平均直径为176.5 nm,球形规整度较好。     

Styrene miniemulsion polymerization stabilized by carboxylated polyurethane. II. Kinetics

A styrene miniemulsion was prepared using carboxylated polyurethane as the sole costabilizer and sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant. The effects of the amount of carboxylated polyurethane, the amount of the initiator and surfactant, the presence of a water‐phase inhibitor (sodium nitrite), and the reaction temperature on the kinetics of the miniemulsion polymerization were investigated. The evolution of the particle size during the polymerization was measured. The results show that the polymerization rate was proportional to the 0.21 power of the surfactant concentration and the 0.30 power of azobisisobutyronitrile. The droplet nucleation and homogeneous nucleation were found to be coexistent in the polymerization. The hydrophility of the particle surface plays a key role in the nucleation of the particle and, therefore, has an important effect on the kinetics of the polymerization. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 1941–1947, 2003     

Gold deposition on Fe3O4/(co)Poly(N‐octadecyl methacrylate) hybrid particles to obtain nanocomposites With ternary intrinsic features

Here, nanocomposite particles with three domains including magnetite nanoparticles, poly(N‐octadecyl methacrylate) (PODMA) or poly(N‐octadecyl methacrylate‐co‐1‐vinylimidazole) (P(ODMA‐co‐VIMZ)), and gold nanoparticles were prepared. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution were prepared through a synthetic route in an organic phase in order to achieve good control of the size and size distribution and prevent their aggregation during their preparation. These magnetite nanoparticles, ～ 5 nm in size, were then encapsulated and well‐dispersed in PODMA and P(ODMA‐co‐VIMZ) matrices via a miniemulsion polymerization process to obtain the corresponding nanocomposite particles. The results revealed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were encapsulated and did not migrate towards the monomer/water interface during polymerization. The resulting latex was used as a precursor for the adsorption of Au³⁺ ions on the surface of the polymeric particles and subsequent reduction to produce Fe₃O₄/P(ODMA‐co‐VIMZ)/Au nanocomposite particles. The morphology of the particles from each step was fully characterized by TEM and AFM, and the results of DLS analysis showed their size and size distribution. Measurement of magnetic properties illustrated the superparamagnetic characteristic of the products and it was observed that the encapsulation process and deposition of gold had no effect on the magnetic properties of the resulting particles. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

细乳液聚合制备和表征聚（BA—St）／SiO2杂化微球

在纳米二氧化硅水分散介质中,使用阴离子乳化剂（SDS）,通过细乳液聚合成功制备了一系列聚（BA—St）／SiO2杂化微球。杂化微球的平均粒径在98nm～130nm。研究了纳米二氧化硅用量和单体组成等影响因素对杂化粒子粒径和形态的影响,提出了一种可能的反应机理。     

Miniemulsion polymerization of styrene. I. Preparation by redox initiator and new agitation mixer

Miniemulsion polymerization is usually conducted by a two-stage process, miniemulsion and polymerization, where the reactants are first processed using a high shearing machine, then transferred to a reactor to polymerize with magnetic stirring. However, the particles size distributions obtained usually are broad and skewed to small sizes owing to micelle and homogeneous nucleation in the aqueous solution. In this study, a saw-toothed blade mixer was successfully used for miniemulsion polymerization with a rotating rate over 500 rpm. The addition sequence of the components also affected the miniemulsion process in this system. The best result was obtained when the surfactant and cetyl alcohol were first dissolved in water and then the styrene was mixed in. Furthermore, a fast dissociated redox initiator system (cumene hydroperoxide/Fe²⁺/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-disodium salt/sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate) was used to prepare miniemulsion polymer and monodisperse polystyrene. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reversible addition fragmentation transfer (RAFT) polymerization of styrene in a miniemulsion: A mechanistic investigation

The RAFT polymerization of styrene in miniemulsion using 1-phenylethyl phenyl-dithioacetate (PEPDTA) as a RAFT agent was investigated, in attempt to reveal the mechanism for the often observed inferior performance such as low polymerization rate, broad molecular weight distribution and particle size distribution in the RAFT miniemulsion polymerization with regular levels of surfactant and co-stabilizer (1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfate and 2 wt% hexadecane). It is strongly evident that a few of large oligomer particles consisting of oligomer, RAFT agent (RAFT agent refers to the original RAFT agent), and monomer would be formed in the early stage of the polymerization due to the superswelling of the first nucleated droplets. With the regular levels of surfactant and co-stabilizer, the observed low polymerization rate, broadened molecular weight distribution, slow conversion of the RAFT agent, lower N_p, and broadened particle size distribution could be well explained by the formation of these large oligomer particles and their prolonged existence. When the formation of the oligomer particles was suppressed by increasing surfactant and co-stabilizer levels and wise selection of types of RAFT agent, the molecular weight distribution could be narrowed to around 1.3 and particle size distribution could be close to that of the conventional non-living miniemulsion polymerization.