Kinetics and effect of surfactant and cosurfactant on miniemulsion polymerization of acrylate monomers

The effects of the type and amount of the surfactant and cosurfactant on the miniemulsion polymerization of acrylate monomers were studied, and the comparison of the kinetics between miniemulsion polymerization and conventional emulsion polymerization was discussed in the presence of reactive surfactant allyloxy nonylphenol propyl polyoxyethylene (10), ether sulfate (DNS-86), and reactive cosurfactant stearyl methacrylate (SMA). The results showed that the obtained polyacrylate miniemulsion had a high monomer conversion rate and a low coagulum fraction, which were affected little by the surfactant and cosurfactant type. When the surfactant and cosurfactant amounts were all 2 wt%, the contact angle of the prepared polyacrylate miniemulsion with DNS-86/SMA and the water absorption fraction of the latex film were 39° and 8.3 wt%, respectively. FTIR results confirmed that DNS-86 and SMA took part in the polymerization of acrylate monomers. In the miniemulsion polymerization of acrylate monomers with DNS-86/SMA, monomer droplet nucleation was the main nucleation style.