The Influence of Leucanol on the Aggregative Stability of Synthetic Latexes

Аннотация

On the example of model systems (polystyrene latexes and copolymers of styrene with polar monomers, acrylonitrile and ethoxyethyl acrylate), the effect of sodium naphthyl formaldehyde sulfonate on the aggregative stability of synthetic latexes was analyzed. Upon reaching the limit conversion, these latexes during storage spontaneously transfer to a solid gel having a periodic colloidal crystal-like structure. It is shown that the gelation process obeys the Smoluchowski law for coagulation. An increase in the molecular weight of the polymer and in the size of the latex particles during the formation of the gel was recorded. The introduction of a NF dispersing agent neutralizes the gel effect, stabilizes the system, prevents gelation and leads to a slight increase in the molecular weight of the polymer and the degree of polydispersity of the polymers obtained. It has been suggested that stable macroradicals accumulating from the gel-effect stage and remaining in the system after completion of polymerization can be one of the reasons for the loss of aggregative stability of latexes, and incorporating the dispersing agent into the adsorption layer of polymer-monomer particles leads to the recombination of these radicals within the particle and the stabilization of latexes in the polymerization process.