Main events occurring in styrene microemulsion polymerization |
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| Authors: | J Esteban López‐Aguilar René O Vargas Carlos E Escobar‐Toledo Eduardo Mendizábal Jorge E Puig Francisco López‐Serrano |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Facultad de Química, Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México;2. SEPI ESIME Azcapotzalco, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Avenida de las Granjas No. 682, Colonia Santa Catarina, Delegación Azcapotzalco, México, Distrito Federal, Mexico;3. CUCEI, Departamentos de Química e Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Guadalajara, Jalisco, México |
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| Abstract: | A previously presented model with four states (conversion, active and inactive particles and micelles) is further tested with conversion versus time experimental data at 50, 60, and 70°C, to recognize the main events occurring in styrene microemulsion polymerization. The S‐shaped conversion–with no overprediction‐ and the bell‐shaped active particles number concentration–evidencing diffusive effects at late stages–versus time data, are well described by the proposed model. It was found that: (i) transfer of monomer and surfactant from micelles to particles occurs, (ii) the capture of radicals by micelles is the only cause of particle nucleation, (iii) the rate coefficient of radical‐entry‐to‐micelles is much smaller than that of exit‐from‐particles, and (iv) no coagulation between particles was detected. The Arrhenius dependency on temperature of the kinetic rate parameters is also reported. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41720. |
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| Keywords: | emulsion polymerization kinetics micelles nanoparticles theory and modeling |
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