Semi-continuous emulsion copolymerization of butyl methacrylate with polymerizable anionic surfactants

Two polymerizable anionic surfactants sodium 4-(ω-acryloyloxyalkyl)oxy benzene sulfonate (SABS-n, n=8 or 10) have been successfully used in the semi-continuous emulsion copolymerization with butyl methacrylate (BMA). After generating seeding particles in an emulsion consisting SABS-8 or SABS-10 and small amount of BMA using a redox initiator ammonium persulfate (APS)/tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) at room temperature, most of BMA was added drop-wise to the polymerizing emulsion system during a period of 4-8 h. These emulsion copolymerizations produced nanosized latexes with high polymer/surfactant weight ratios up to about 12/1 and nearly monodisperse particles ranging from 18 to 33 nm in diameter. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that SABS-n was significantly enriched on the surface of latex particles. The effects of concentrations of SABS-n, BMA, and APS/TMEDA and the latex characteristics during the continuous addition of monomer were studied. A possible polymerization mechanism was proposed.