Measurement methods of particle size distribution in emulsion polymerization

The particle size distribution of polymer always develops in emulsion polymerization systems,and certain key phenomena/mechanisms as well as properties of the final product are significantly affected by this distribution.This review mainly focuses on the measurement methods of particle size distribution rather than average particle size during the emulsion polymerization process,including the existing off-line,on-line,and in-line measurement methods.Moreover,the principle,resolution,performance,advantages,and drawbacks of various methods for evaluating particle size distribution are contrasted and illustrated.Besides,several possible development directions or solutions of the in-line measurement technology are explored.

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF AFFINITY POLYMER BASIC MICROSPHERES BY SOAP-FREE EMULSION POLYMERIZATION

Poly(styrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate) latex microspheres with uniform size and high-density epoxy groups on the surface were prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization with batch wise operation mode in the presence of 2.2′- azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride as an initiator.The kinetics of soap-free emulsion polymerization and the effects of polymerization factors were examined.In addition,the optimum polymerization conditions of poly(styrene-co- glycidyl methacrylate) latex microspheres ...

Polyaniline-based electrocatalysts through emulsion polymerization:Electrochemical and electrocatalytic performances

One of the major challenges associated with fuel cells is the design of highly efficient electrocatalysts to reduce the high overpotential of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR). Here we report Polyaniline(PANI)based micro/nanomaterials with or without transition metals, prepared by the emulsion polymerization and subsequent heat treatment. PANI microspheres with the diameter of about 0.7 μm have been prepared in basic(NH3solution) condition, using two different types of surfactant(CTAB, SDS) as the stabilizer, ammonium persulphate(APS) as oxidant with aniline/surfactants molar ratio at 1/1 under the hydrothermal treatment. PANI nanorods, Fe–PANI, and Fe–Co–PANI have been synthesized in acidic(HCl)medium with aniline/surfactants molar ratio at 1/2 and polymerization carried out without stirring for24 h. Products mainly Fe–Co–PANI have shown high current density with increasing sweep rate and excellent specific capacitance 1753 F/g at the scan rate of 1 m V/s. Additionally, it has shown high thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). Fe–PANI has been investigated for excellent performance toward ORR with four electron selectivity in the basic electrolyte. The PANI-based catalysts from emulsion polymerization demonstrate that the method is valuable for making non-precious metal heterogeneous electrocatalysts for ORR or energy storage and conversion technology.

Investigation on the Inverse Emulsion Polymerization of Acrylic Acid

Polyacrylic acid particles in nano-scale were synthesized using an inverse (W/O) emulsion polymerization method. The particle size and size change of inverse micelles which solubilize a part of monomer solution was monitored by PCS (photon correlation spectroscopy) and the particles of polyacrylic acid were viewed in scanning electron microscope for the first time. It was concluded that the inverse micelles were primarily the polymerization reaction sites.

Study on N-Phenylmaleimide/Styrene /Acrylonitrile Copolymer Prepared by Emulsion Polymerization

The emulsion polymerization of N-phenylmaleimide, Styrene and acrylonitrile was studied. The thermal property of this copolymer was measures by dynamic thermomechanical analysis(DMA). The mechanical properties, such as tensile strength, hardness and fie-cural Strength were StUdied experimentally. The results indicated that not only the monomer component but also the polymerization technologies have effect on the properties of the copolymer. The optimum monomer content and suitable polymerization method were obtained.

Emulsion Polymerization of Vinyl Acetate in the Presence of a New Cationic Surfactant

In this study, the emulsion homopolymerization system containing vinyl acetate, potassium persulfate, a new cationic polymeric surfactant and water was studied by the applying semi-continuous emulsion polymerization process. The effects of new polymeric emulsifier on the physicochemical properties of obtained vinyl acetate latexes were investigated depending on vinyl acetate percentage in the polymerization recipe, and two thermal initiators in homopolymerization.

Synthesis of ABA Type Block Copolymers of Poly(Ethylene Glycol)and Poly(Dodecyl Vinyl Ether)and Its Using as Surfactant in Emulsion Polymerization

A poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based macroinitiator (MI) with terminal chloride atom at both ends was prepared by the reaction of PEG-400 with chloroacetyl chloride and used for the cationic polymerization of dodecyl vinyl ether (DVE) yielding ABA type block copolymer. The block copolymer was then used as the surfactant for the emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate and styrene in the presence of potassium persulfate as an initiator. The effects of new polymeric emulsifier on the physicochemical properties of obtained latexes were investigated depending on surfactant percentage in homopolymerizations.

Oxidation-responsive framboidal triblock copolymer vesicles prepared by photoinitiated RAFT seeded emulsion polymerization

Stimulus-responsive vesicles have broad applications in a variety of areas. Herein, oxidation-responsive framboidal triblock copolymer vesicles are prepared by photoinitiated RAFT seeded emulsion polymerization of a thioether-functionalized monomer using diblock copolymer vesicles as seeds. The obtained framboidal vesicles can transform into worms or spheres in the presence of reactive oxygen species,which can be further used for controlled release of cargos(e.g., silica nanoparticles).

Photoenzymatic RAFT Emulsion Polymerization with Oxygen Tolerance

Photoenzymatic reversible addition-fragmenatation chain transfer(RAFT)emulsion polymerization,surfactant-free or ab initio,of various monomers is reported with oxygen toleranee.In surfactant-free emulsion polymerizatoin,poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide)s were used as stabilizer blocks for emulsion polymerization of methyl acrylate,n-butyl acrylate and styrene,producing well-defined amphiphilic block copolymers,including those with an ultrahigh molecular weight,at quantitative conversions.The controlled character of surfactant-free emulsion polymerization was confirmed by kinetic studies,chain extension studies and GPC analyses.Temporal control was demonstrated by light ON/OFF experiments.In ab initio emulsion polymerization of methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate,low-dispersity hydrophobic polymers were synthesized with predictable molecular weights.This study extends the monomer scope suitable for photoenzymatic RAFT polymerization from hydrophilic to hydrophobic monomers and demonstrates that oxygen-toleranee can be equally achieved for emulsion polymerization with excellent RAFT control.

Polyphosphoester-modified Cellulose Nanocrystals for Stabilizing Pickering Emulsion Polymerization of Styrene

The structure and properties of functional nanoparticles are important for stabilizing Pickering emulsion polymerization.Recently,cellulose nanocrystals(CNCs)are increasingly favored as a bio-based stabilizer for Pickering emulsions.In this study,we reported a novel functionalized polyphosphoester-grafted CNCs for the stabilization of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions and the emulsion polymerization of styrene.First,polyphosphoester containing an amino group at one end of the chain,abbreviated as PBYP-NH2,was prepared by ring-opening polymerization(ROP)and hydrolysis reaction,wherein PBYP represents poly[2-(but-3-yn-1-yloxy)-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane].Subsequently,CNC-COOH was obtained via 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl(TEMPO)oxidation of CNCs.The functionalized nanocrystals CNC-PBYP-COOH with carboxyl groups and polyphosphoester on the surface were obtained by the amidation reaction of PBYP-NH2 with CNC-COOH.Finally,we used CNC-PBYP-COOH as sole particle emulsifiers to stabilize styrene-in-water Pickering emulsions and studied its effects on the emulsions in details by using dynamic light scattering(DLS).The results indicated that the properties of these emulsions depended on the concentration of hydrophobically modified CNCs,volume ratios of oil to water,and pH values.The modified CNCs had higher ability to stabilize the styrene-in-water emulsions relative to the unmodified CNCs,and a stable oil-in-water(o/w)Pickering emulsion with diameter of hundreds of nanometers could be obtained.The resulting emulsions could be polymerized to yield nanosized latexes.The polyphosphoester-modified CNCs as green particle emulsifiers can efficiently stabilize nanoemulsions and latexes,which would promote the development of novel environmentally friendly materials.

Effect of Butyl α-Hydroxymethyl Acrylate Monomer Structure on the Morphology Produced via Aqueous Emulsion Polymerization-induced Self-assembly

Polymerization-induced self-assembly(PISA) is an efficient and versatile method to afford polymeric nano-objects with polymorphic morphologies. Compared to dispersion PISA syntheses based on soluble monomers, the vast majority of emulsion PISA formulations using insoluble monomers leads to kinetically-trapped spheres. Herein, we present aqueous emulsion PISA formulations generating worms and vesicles besides spheres. Two monomers with different butyl groups, n-butyl(n BHMA) and tert-butyl(t BHMA) α-hydroxymethyl acrylate, and thus possessing different water solubilities were synthesized via Baylis-Hillman reaction. Photoinitiated aqueous emulsion polymerizations of n BHMA and t BHMA employing poly(ethylene glycol) macromolecular chain transfer agents(macro-CTAs, PEG45-CTA, and PEG113-CTA) at 40 °C were systematically investigated to evaluate the effect of monomer structure and solubility on the morphology of the generated block copolymer nano-objects. Higher order morphologies including worms and vesicles were readily accessed for t BHMA, which has a higher water solubility than that of n BHMA. This study proves that plasticization of the core-forming block by water plays a key role in enhancing chain mobility required for morphological transition in emulsion PISA.

Pickering emulsion polymerization of styrene stabilized by nanocrystalline cellulose

In this work,polystyrene-based oil-in-water Pickering emulsion stabilized by nanocrystalline cellulose(NCC)was formulated.The NCC was prepared by sulfuric-acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose,with a yield of 60%and an average particle size of about 152.9 nm.When the content of NCC was 5 g/L,the surface tension was 54.58 mN/m,and stable styrene-based Pickering emulsion was prepared using NCC as the stabilizer.The presence of NCC particles in the emulsion system resulted in high resistance against creaming.Due to improved stability,the conversion efficiency of styrene was higher in the polymerization process of the styrene-based Pickering emulsion.

Effects of water phase concentration on the emulsion polymerization of polyaniline

The emulsion polymerization of aniline in three phase system of xylene functionalized protonic acid water was carried out using (NH 4) 2S 2O 4 as oxidant. The influences of water phase concentration on the viscosity, conductivity, transmittance of polyaniline(PAN) latex and its powders were studied. The results show that the properties of PAN prepared through the emulsion polymerization are influenced by the amount of water used in the polymerization. The morphology of PAN varies with the water phase concentration used in the polymerization, which may result in the change of properties of PAN latex and its powders. When the volume fraction of water (φ) is about 20% 30%, the prepared PAN powder has higher conductivity, and the PAN latex has appropriate viscosity and particle size. The consumption of xylene was reduced at high φ value.

Technologies-Advances in the Applications of Pickering Emulsion Technology in Sunscreens

The recent progress in the applications of Pickering emulsion technology in sunscreens has been reviewed,including the Pickering emulsions stabilized by TiO_2 particles,Pickering emulsions stabilized by TiO_2 and ZnO particles,and composite sunscreen microspheres prepared via Pickering emulsion polymerization.The perspective in future development of this technology in sunscreens has also been given.

DMC-grafted cellulose as green-based flocculants for agglomerating fine kaolin particles

Novel cellulose based flocculants C-g-P(DMC) with various chain architectures are synthesized through a situ graft copolymerization. The cationic ammonium chloride group(DMC) is grafted onto cellulose by two separate inverse emulsion polymerization with γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane(KH-570) and double bond addition reactions, which is a new and simple method to employ KH-570 as a bridge for the connection of cellulose matrix and DMC group. The effects of pH, flocculant dose, standing time on turbidity of kaolin suspensions and particle sizes have been studied systematically. In addition, the response surface methodology(RSM) study confirms that PAC and C-g-P(DMC)have synergy in turbidity removal with a higher removal efficiency of 98.32%. Moreover, C-g-P(DMC) 1 has higher removal efficiency with 96.5% at a low dosage of 0.6 mg L^(-1) and better floc properties than C-g-P(DMC) 2 and C-g-P(DMC) 3, suggesting that the length and quantity of cationic branch chains play a crucial role in Kaolin flocculation due to their dramatically enhanced bridging effects.

PREPARATION OF HOLLOW LATEX PARTICLES BY ALKALI-ACID TREATMENT

Hollow polymer latex particles were prepared by seeded emulsion polymerization. A seed latex consisting of styrene (St), butyl acrylate(BA) copolymer was first prepared, and seeded terpolymerization of St BA MA(methacrylic acid) were then carried out in the absence of surfactant. Final latex was treated by a two step treatment under alkaline and acidic conditions, thus, the particles with hollow structure were obtained. We discussed the effects of pH value, temperature and time in alkali and acid treatment processes on hollow structure within the polymer latex particles and amount of carboxylic group on particle surface. The results show that the hollow polymer latex particles with the largest hollow size can be obtained under a certain condition (pH12.5, 90°C, 3 h in alkali treatment stage and pH2.5, 85°C, 3 h in acid treatment stage).

Electroconductive Composites Containing Nanocellulose,Nanopolypyrrole,and Silver Nanoparticles

In this work,conducting composites of nanocellulose(NC)/polypyrrole nanoparticles(NPPy)and silver nanoparticles(AgNPs),i.e.,NC/NPPyAg,were synthesized for the first time,to the best of our knowledge,via in situ emulsion polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of surfactant dopants.The AgNPs acted as an oxidizing agent to simultaneously incorporate nanoparticles into the prepared composites.The structures and morphologies of the prepared composites were studied using Fourier transform infrared(FTIR)spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction(XRD),UV-Vis Spectra,thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),and scanning and transmission electron microscopy(SEM and TEM)techniques.Additionally,the prepared composites were characterized by their conductivities,and the dielectric constants(e΄),dielectric losses(e˝),and AC conductivities were studied for the prepared composites with an increasing NPPy content as a function of the frequency.

Synthesis of Monodisperse Latexes to Create Immunodiagnostic Drugs

The aim of this work was the synthesis of monodisperse latexes based on methyl methacrylate.To achieve this goal,methyl methacrylate was polymerized in an emulsifier-free static heterogeneous monomer-water system in the presence of hydroquinone and potassium persulfate.The size of the latex particles was determined by electron microscopy.Monodisperse latexes with a diameter of about 100 nm were synthesized as a result.

Emulsion interfacial polymerization of anticancer peptides:fabricating polypeptide nanospheres with high drug-loading efficiency and enhanced anticancer activity

The development of drug delivery systems with high drug-loading efficiency, kinetic stability against dilution, as well as enhanced anticancer activity is of crucial importance to the fields of self-assembly and nanomedicine. Herein, we propose a strategy where the anticancer peptide acts as water-soluble monomer to directly participate in emulsion interfacial polymerization for fabricating polypeptide nanospheres. The constructed polypeptide nanospheres hold a high drug loading efficiency of 77%, and can be stably dispersed in highly diluted aqueous solutions. The acid-labile amide linkage in polypeptide nanospheres can be hydrolyzed in tumor acidic environments, thus releasing anticancer peptides selectively. The polypeptide nanospheres achieve significantly enhanced anticancer activity against HCT116 cells in vitro and in vivo through improved mitochondrial and membrane disruption. In addition, its side effects on normal cells can be reduced significantly. It is highly anticipated that more kinds of anticancer drug candidates or anticancer drugs can be applied to fabricate polymeric nanomedicines with improved anticancer activity through this strategy.

Facile synthesis of metal-organic frameworks embedded in interconnected macroporous polymer as a dual acid-base bifunctional catalyst for efficient conversion of cellulose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural(5-HMF),as a key platform compound for the conversion of biomass to various biomass-derived chemicals and biofuels,has been attracted extensive attention.In this research,using Pickering high internal phase emulsions(Pickering HIPEs)as template and functional metal-organic frameworks(MOFs,UiO-66-SO;H and UiO-66-NH;)/Tween 85 as co-stabilizers to synthesis the dual acid-base bifunctional macroporous polymer catalyst by one-pot process,which has excellent catalytic activity in the cascade reaction of converting cellulose to 5-HMF.The effects of the emulsion parameters including the amount of surfactant(ranging from 0.5%to 2.0%(mass)),the internal phase volume fraction(ranging from 75%to 90%)and the acid/base Pickering particles mass ratio(ranging from 0:6 to 6:0)on the morphology and catalytic performance of solid catalyst were systematically researched.The results of catalytic experiments suggested that the connected large pore size of catalyst can effectively improve the cellulose conversion,and the synergistic effect of acid and base active sites can effectively improve the 5-HMF yield.The highest 5-HMF yield,about 40.5%,can be obtained by using polymer/MOFs composite as catalyst(Poly-P12,the pore size of(53.3±11.3)μm,the acid density of 1.99 mmol·g^(-1)and the base density of 1.13 mol·g^(-1))under the optimal reaction conditions(130℃,3 h).Herein,the polymer/MOFs composite with open-cell structure was prepared by the Pickering HIPEs templating method,which provided a favorable experimental basis and theoretical reference for achieving efficient production of high addedvalue product from abundant biomass.