Polymerization butyl acrylate-methyl methacrylate batch emulsion

Four polymerization examples are presented here to illustrate both available sensitivity, experimental difficulties, and hopefully some interesting aspects of the polymerization processes. The first two examples are the semi-continuous emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene, respectively. The third example is a batch charged copolymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) with MMA. The fourth example is a semi-continuous solution polymerization of an acrylic system. In this last example aliquots were taken manually and analyzed at 29.7°C under static conditions. No further polymerization occurred after the samples were cooled to this temperature. 

Besides two-component LIPNs, three-component LIPNs have also been studied through three-stage emulsion polymerization processes (Zhang et al. 1991, 1994 Isao et al. 1992). These authors synthesized poly(n-butyl acrylate) cross-linked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the seed latex. Styrene and divinylbenzene were added at the second stage. The third stage was linear poly(methyl methacrylate). Starved polymerization conditions resulted in more regular-shaped latex particles than batch addition of monomer. 

Al-Khanbashi et al. [62] published a review of initial applications of Raman spectroscopy to studies of aqueous-phase emulsion polymerization. The polymerization reactions studied those of styrene-butyl acrylate (STY/BA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were conducted as laboratory-scale reactions, but the potential of applying Raman spectroscopy to the field of in-line monitoring of batch emulsion polymerization of batch reactions was not lost on the authors. 

Cutting GR, Tabner BJ. Radical concentrations and reaction temperature profiles during the (batch) core—shell emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate, studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. Eur Polym J 1997 33 213-217. 

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