Abstract: | The seeded microemulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate was studied with γ-rays. The hydrodynamic diameter and its distribution of polymer particles in the seeded microemulsion before and after polymerization were determined with photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). Though there were micelles in the microemulsion, it was found that new particle formation could be ignored during polymerization. The polymerization kinetics of the seeded microemulsion was investigated. The polymerization rate increases with the dose rate and added monomer content and decreases with the seed fraction. It was completely different from that for seeded emulsion polymerization. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2631–2635, 1998 |