Preparation of Polystyrene particles based on interfacial stability of suspension polymerization

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The suspension polymerization of styrene was carried out to obtain the narrow-size distribution of particle by using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as suspension stabilizer according to the degree of hydrolysis and the molecular weight. The stabilizing properties of suspension are also dependent on the interfacial tension of aqueous solution when PVA is added. When the polymerization process was carried out with low hydrolyzed PVA, it gave single, well-defined particles, while high hydrolyzed PVA gave clusters. The size of particle produced in this study ranged between 5${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and 10${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. The suspending agent, PVA, influences on the drop size and drop stability, When the molecular weight of PVA is increased, the drop size decreases and the drops become more stable toward coalescence. An increase in the PVA concentration decreases the mean drop size and narrows the drop size distribution.