Applied latex particles

The Stokes-Einstein equation has already been presented. It was noted that its vahdity was restricted to large solutes, such as spherical macromolecules and particles in a continuum solvent. The equation has also been found to predict accurately the diffusion coefficient of spherical latex particles and globular proteins. Corrections to Stokes-Einstein for molecules approximating spheroids is given by Tanford. Since solute-solute interactions are ignored in this theory, it applies in the dilute range only. 

Multistage emulsion polymerization techniques are usually applied for (1) the synthesis of large uniform latex particles, (2) the introduction of functional groups into the uniform latex particles, or (3) the synthesis of macroporous uniform latex particles. 

The specific resistances obtained are independent of applied load, suspension concentration and membrane type, as expected for non-compressible filter cakes. Tests with uniform latex particles have given permeabilities in very good agreement with Equation 2, using a value of 5 for the Carman-Kozeny constant. 

A similar technique has been applied to the generation of monodisperse suspensions in water. This type of method was first used in medical field and then widely used to spray monodisperse solid particles such as polystyrene latex particles. Aerosols of solutes have also been produced by atomizing solutions of salt, sugar or methylene blue dye dissolved in water. In practical operations, a low concentration of solid particles in a solvent is recommended in order to avoid possible agglomeration of suspensions in the solvent. 

The reaction described in this example is carried out in miniemulsion.Miniemulsions are dispersions of critically stabilized oil droplets with a size between 50 and 500 nm prepared by shearing a system containing oil, water,a surfactant and a hydrophobe. In contrast to the classical emulsion polymerization (see 5ect. 2.2.4.2), here the polymerization starts and proceeds directly within the preformed micellar "nanoreactors" (= monomer droplets).This means that the droplets have to become the primary locus of the nucleation of the polymer reaction. With the concept of "nanoreactors" one can take advantage of a potential thermodynamic control for the design of nanoparticles. Polymerizations in such miniemulsions, when carefully prepared, result in latex particles which have about the same size as the initial droplets.The polymerization of miniemulsions extends the possibilities of the widely applied emulsion polymerization and provides advantages with respect to copolymerization reactions of monomers with different polarity, incorporation of hydrophobic materials, or with respect to the stability of the formed latexes. 

Before applying the ideas summarised in the first section to polymer latices it is appropriate to consider the nature of polymer latex particles. We know, for example, that each particle is composed of a large number of polymer chains, with the chains having molecular weights in the range of about 105 to 107. Moreover, the particles themselves can be amorphous, crystalline, rubbery, glassy or monomer swollen, either extensively or minutely. It follows, therefore, that the properties of the system on drying depends directly on the physical state of the particles, for example, if the particles are soft, coalescence can occur to form a continuous film, whereas with hard particles their individuality is retained. The nature of the particle obtained is directly related to the preparative method employed and the surface properties are often determined by s-... 

Kobayashi et al. [143-146] have synthesized several types of amphiphilic po-ly(2-oxazoline), 34 and its block cooligomers, 53-55, and applied them to soap-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and vinyl acetate to produce mono-disperse, submicron-sized latex particles. They found that the particle size significantly depended on the type of macromonomer used and generally decreased with increasing the macromonomer concentration. 

Repeated sample injections allow at least micropreparative fractionation, which was described for polymer latex particles by S-FFF [333]. Preparative separations can however also be achieved by applying continuous sample feed. One possibility is to use SPLITT channels (see Sect. 2.12) but classical FFF methods... 

In this paper, a means is demonstrated for experimentally determining the percent of monomer conversion at which soap micelles disappear from the system during emulsion polymerization. By applying the mathematics and latex particle surface area which a soap molecule will occupy, developed for the soap titration particle size measurement procedure, the average particle size of the finished latex can be calculated. In fact, under some circumstances It might even be feasible to adjust monomer content. 

The authors explain these results by assuming polymerization primarily in latex particles and applying the relationship... 

Polystyrene latex particles, 0.2 p, in diameter, have recently been used as immunochemical markers for sceuining electron microscopyS. (SEM). But applications of such a reagent are limited because the lydrophobic surface of the polystyrene particles makes them stick nonspeciflcally to many surfaces and molecules. The same disadvantage applies to agglutination tests. Furthermore, reliance on weak adsorption forces to hold the antibodies on the particles is not always satisfactoryifi and chemical bonding of antibodies to polystyrene particles is virtually... 

The population balance equations are very general and may be applied to batch, semicontinuous, and continuous emulsion polymerizations. Furthermore, both seeded and ab initio polymerizations are comprehended by Eq. (5) in all (or part) of the three commonly considered polymerization intervals. The following sections show how the different possibilities are reflected in different functional forms of the elements of the matrices O and K and of the vector c. It should be remembered, however, that certain conceivable situations are not comprehended by Eq. (5) for example, if the monomer molecules are not freely exchanged between the latex particles so that the monomer concentration inside each latex particle is determined by its growth history. 

As a flnal example, it should be pointed out that it is also possible to circumvent the need of immobilization of the biorecognition element in the microchannel system. Instead, it can be immobilized on superparamagnetic beads, silica beads, latex particles, etc. [79-81]. These beads are applied together with the sample into the microchannel system and can be collected on or near the transducer via magnetic or membrane separation. 

Wide and his colleagues (W5, W7) were the first to apply the technique of hemagglutination-inhibition to the estimation of urinary LH. They found that some antisera raised against HCG were incapable of distinguishing between HCG and LH, and, accordingly, they were able to establish an assay system for LH using an antiserum raised to HCG and HCG-coated red blood cells. Taymor (T2) used a similar system to assay human urinary LH. He also employed an HCG antiserum and latex particles coated with this hormone the system was specific in that a cross reaction with ovine LH was not observed however, its specificity with respect to FSH was not reported. Taymor (T2) found it necessary to extract LH from urine prior to immunoassay. For this purpose he preferred precipitation with acetone to treatment with alcohol, since trace amounts of the latter interfered with the antigen-antibody reaction. 

The role of surface viscosity and elasticity on the motion of a solid particle trapped in a thin film, at an interface, or at a membrane of a spherical vesicle has been recently investigated in References 604 and 605. The theoretical results ° have been applied to process the experimental data for the drag coefficient of polystyrene latex particles moving throughout the membrane of a giant lipid vesicle. Thus, the interfacial viscosity of membranes has been determined. 

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