Cationic miniemulsion polymerization of styrene mediated by imidazolium based ionic liquid

Abstract

For the first time, it was shown the cationic miniemulsion polymerization of styrene using an ionic liquid as catalyst. The ionic liquid (BMI·Fe2Cl7) was tolerant to the presence of high amount of water, being effective for polymerization of styrene in the evaluated temperatures range from 70 to 90 °C. The polymerization was considerably slower than conventional cationic polymerization, indicating that this process is easier to control than the conventional ones. In addition, quite high molecular weights were reached, while the particle size, between 150 and 175 nm, was within the typical range for miniemulsion polymerization.