Polydispersity and Particle Size Distribution of Polystyrene Latex Prepared by Ultrasound Induced Emulsion Polymerization

초음파에너지가 도입된 유화중합공정에서 Polystyrene Latex의 분산도 및 입자분포 특성

A new technology was introduced to the emulsion polymerization. It is the ultrasonic activation method which replaced a chemical initiator and the environmentally benign process. In this study, free radicals were produced by a pulse type ultrasound energy irradiation, then polystyrene latex was polymerized without chemical initiator. With ultrasonic energy density, the degree of polymerization, average molecular weight, and particle size were increased, but the polydispersity index for the molecular weight and the particle size were decreased. The optimum condition of emulsifier concentration and temperature was found to be 1.0 wt.% SDS and $40^{\circ}C$, respectively. As a result, the emulsion polymerization process without chemical initiator was proved to be comparable to common latex properties such as average molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, particle size, etc.