Emulsion Copolymerization in a Tubular Reactor

摘要

A study was conducted on the emulsion copolymerization of vinyl acetate and butyl acrylate in a tubular reactor. It was performed at a constant temperature of 60degC and at different fulid velocities and feed composition. Conversion, particle size distribution, and copolymer composition were measured, respectively, with gravimetric method, laser light scattering, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Maximum conversions were found for each of the monomer compositions; this maximum conversion varied, however, with the recipe used. The amount of butyl acrylae has a direct effect on the number of particles and on the final conversion. In lower levels of butyl acrylate particle size distribution is wide and bimodal. High levels of butyl acrylate leads to narrow and monomodal particle size distribution. Therefore the level of butyl acrylate and the velocity of fluid flowing inside the tube have strong effects on the shape(monomodal-bimodal) and the width of particle size distribution. This effect may very at different levels of butyl acrylate and flow rate. The results obtained from copolymer composition show that an alternating block copolymer is made during the reaction.