Emulsion polymerization Ostwald ripening effect

Mouran et al. [105] polymerized miniemulsions of methyl methacrylate with sodium lauryl sulfate as the surfactant and dodecyl mercaptan (DDM) as the costabilizer. The emulsions were of a droplet size range common to miniemulsions and exhibited long-term stability (of greater than three months). Results indicate that DDM retards Ostwald ripening and allows the production of stable miniemulsions. When these emulsions were initiated, particle formation occurred predominantly via monomer droplet nucleation. The rate of polymerization, monomer droplet size, polymer particle size, molecular weight of the polymer, and the effect of initiator concentration on the number of particles all varied systematically in ways that indicated predominant droplet nucleation. 

Classical theories of emulsion stability focus on the manner in which the adsorbed emulsifier film influences the processes of flocculation and coalescence by modifying the forces between dispersed emulsion droplets. They do not consider the possibility of Ostwald ripening or creaming nor the influence that the emulsifier may have on continuous phase rheology. As two droplets approach one another, they experience strong van der Waals forces of attraction, which tend to pull them even closer together. The adsorbed emulsifier stabilizes the system by the introduction of additional repulsive forces (e.g., electrostatic or steric) that counteract the attractive van der Waals forces and prevent the close approach of droplets. Electrostatic effects are particularly important with ionic emulsifiers whereas steric effects dominate with non-ionic polymers and surfactants, and in w/o emulsions. The applications of colloid theory to emulsions stabilized by ionic and non-ionic surfactants have been reviewed as have more general aspects of the polymeric stabilization of dispersions. ... 

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