THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE BATCH EMULSION POLYMERIZATION OF VINYL ACETATE.

Both cases of surfactant and surfactant-free emulsion polymerization are being treated. A 1-gallon (5 L) stainless steel reactor with an on-line densitometer (and light detector) was used for the experimental runs which were carried out at different temperature levels. Off-line turbidity spectra measurements, hydrodynamic chromatography (HDC), low angle laser light scattering (LALLS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering were employed for further analysis and characterization of the latex samples. A batch reactor model based on a polymer particle age distribution analysis was developed and shown to follow experimental conversion/time histories adequately as well as other latex and polymer properties such as particle number and size, and number- and weight-average molecular weights. An investigation of particle nucleation with the itive to the emulsifier level. It is clear that latex properties are very much dependent on the control of emulsifier level during polymer particle nucleation.