Effect of stabilizer on the stability and shape of nonspherical polystyrene particles produced by seeded dispersion polymerization in the presence of saturated hydrocarbon droplets

摘要

In this work, seeded dispersion polymerization (SDP) of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate with polystyrene seed particles in the presence of droplets of various hydrocarbons was carried out. The effect of different stabilizers on the stability and shape of the obtained particles was investigated. The experimental results showed that SDP system is unstable without specific stabilizer that results in partial coagulation. In the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, the SDP system represents a partially stable dispersion. Almost fully stable dispersions were obtained using several stabilizers including poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl alcohol), and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The results suggest that the type of hydrocarbon affects the stability of the investigated dispersions. Microscopic studies showed that chemistry of stabilizer can influence the shape of the particles, including those with asymmetric morphologies.