Latex dispersion characterizing particles

Any fundamental study of the rheology of concentrated suspensions necessitates the use of simple systems of well-defined geometry and where the surface characteristics of the particles are well established. For that purpose well-characterized polymer particles of narrow size distribution are used in aqueous or non-aqueous systems. For interpretation of the rheological results, the inter-particle pair-potential must be well-defined and theories must be available for its calculation. The simplest system to consider is that where the pair potential may be represented by a hard sphere model. This, for example, is the case for polystyrene latex dispersions in organic solvents such as benzyl alcohol or cresol, whereby electrostatic interactions are well screened (1). Concentrated dispersions in non-polar media in which the particles are stabilized by a "built-in" stabilizer layer, may also be used, since the pair-potential can be represented by a hard-sphere interaction, where the hard sphere radius is given by the particles radius plus the adsorbed layer thickness. Systems of this type have been recently studied by Croucher and coworkers. (10,11) and Strivens (12). 

Since latex dispersion application properties are related to the surface properties of the latex particles, there is a need for surface characterization of the particles at large. Historically, these types of systems have been applied as model colloids (Hearn et al, 1981) and therefore required well-characterized surfaces but as the sophistication of new coatings increase, the latex particle surfaces become more important from an industrial perspective. In addition to these applications the utilization of latex particles in pharmaceutical and biomedical applications has also contributed to the development of new surface characterization methods. The surface engineering, that is, variations in size, surface charge and surface hydrophobicity, of latex particles as colloidal carriers has been demonstrated to provide opportunities for the site-specific delivery of drugs (Ilium Davis, 1982). Surface... 

The AeroSizer, manufactured by Amherst Process Instmments Inc. (Hadley, Massachusetts), is equipped with a special device called the AeroDisperser for ensuring efficient dispersal of the powders to be inspected. The disperser and the measurement instmment are shown schematically in Figure 13. The aerosol particles to be characterized are sucked into the inspection zone which operates at a partial vacuum. As the air leaves the nozzle at near sonic velocities, the particles in the stream are accelerated across an inspection zone where they cross two laser beams. The time of flight between the two laser beams is used to deduce the size of the particles. The instmment is caUbrated with latex particles of known size. A stream of clean air confines the aerosol stream to the measurement zone. This technique is known as hydrodynamic focusing. A computer correlation estabUshes which peak in the second laser inspection matches the initiation of action from the first laser beam. The equipment can measure particles at a rate of 10,000/s. The output from the AeroSizer can either be displayed as a number count or a volume percentage count. 

The determination of adsorption isotherms at liquid-solid interfaces involves a mass balance on the amount of polymer added to the dispersion, which requires the separation of the liquid phase from the particle phase. Centrifugation is often used for this separation, under the assumption that the adsorption-desorption equilibrium does not change during this process. Serum replacement (6) allows the separation of the liquid phase without assumptions as to the configuration of the adsorbed polymer molecules. This method has been used to determine the adsorption isotherms of anionic and nonionic emulsifiers on various types of latex particles (7,8). This paper describes the adsorption of fully and partially hydrolyzed PVA on different-size PS latex particles. PS latex was chosen over polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) latex because of its well-characterized surface PVAc latexes will be studied later. 

For this description of PCS, it is evident that, for mono-disperse systems, the technique can provide an absolute measurement of hydrodynamic size knowledge of the density or refractive index of the particles is not required, and no calibration or correction is needed. With the advent of digital correlators and microprocessors, PCS has also become a very fast and precise technique. Recent studies of latex using PCS include adsorbed layers (8), particle sizes (16), surface characterization (17) and aggregation (181- ... 

Rubber-resin heterophase systems are classified as (1) resin as the disperse phase, (2) rubber as the disperse phase, (3) grafted rubber latex particles as the disperse phase, and (4) filled graft rubber as the disperse phase. Adhesion mechanisms related to these systems are discussed. Special emphasis is made on the last two systems which involve grafting. The graft rubber isolated from the fourth system is characterized. The graft rubber is shown to function as a compatibilizer and as an adhesive or a coupling agent for the rubber-resin interface. 

Here, the distinct domains of the resulting hybrid polymer are responsible for the self-assembly of the material. It should be noted that there are several other approaches to nanomaterials via ROMP, including the synthesis of dispersed latex nanoparticles, [29-34] hybrid nanoparticles via scaffolded initiation [35-39], and nanoparticles encapsulated in polymer matrices [40,41]. Amphiphilic micellar nanoparticles are by far the most prevalent systems in the literature relevant to a discussion of ROMP in nanoparticle synthesis, particularly those fully characterized in terms of particle formation and morphological characterization of the resulting polymer aggregates. Amphiphilic copolymers synthesized by ROMP that are not studied in this manner [42-45] or those nanoscale architectures involving only covalent interactions [46, 47] are not discussed here. 

As mentioned above the disorder-order transition in aqueous dispersions of charged latex particles, in particular well characterized polystyrene latices, has been investigated extensively. These particles interact through screened Coulombic interactions, the range of which depends on the electrolyte concentration in the suspension medium. At very low electrolyte concentration (10 M or lower) the transition from the milky white (disordered) state to the iridescent (ordered) state may occur at volume fractions below 1%. This means that colloidal spheres in suspension can maintain themselves in a regular lattice structure even when the interparticle spacing is several diameters. 

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