On the copolymerization of acrylates in the modified microemulsion process

Copolymerization of methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, and butyl acrylate in turn was performed in the modified microemulsion polymerization process, i.e., continuous addition of monomer to a preemulsified system. It was found that the particle size of the copolymer microlatex did not change distinctly with the monomer composition. The estimation of emulsifier coverage on the microlatex particles indicated that the process switched from a traditional microemulsion to a normal seeded emulsion polymerization very soon after monomer dropping began. Therefore, a longer dropping time is needed to produce a microlatex with narrow dispersed particle size. Besides, in the modified microemulsion polymerization less emulsifier is needed to produce a stable microlatex. This behavior is related to the mechanism of normal seeded emulsion polymerization during monomer dropping.