Determination of interfacial tensions for latex particles

Abstract

AbstractThe possibility of measuring in situ the interfacial tension at the monomer‐swollen polymer‐water interface of synthetic latices is considered in detail. Experimental measurements of certain liquid or vapor phase properties of the latex can, in principle, yield values of the desired interfacial tension. This technique requires the evaluation and comparison of the Flory–Huggins term and the Morton term of the thermodynamic expression for the chemical potential of the monomer in the latex particle. While each term can be evaluated, it turns out that the relative magnitudes of the two terms are such that unrealistically high precision is required in the experimental measurements for this technique to be useful for obtaining reasonably accurate interfacial tensions. At saturated swelling conditions with highly surface‐active emulsifiers (e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate), the interfacial tension values obtained have a precision of only about ±50%. The reliability of these approximate values degrades rapidly as one moves away from saturation conditions, so as to render in situ experimental techniques inappropriate for gaining accurate knowledge about the surface energy at the latex particle–water interface at any monomer–polymer ratio. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.