Relative shear stability of mini‐ and macroemulsion latexes

Abstract

The shear stability of mini- and macroemulsion latexes is compared and quantitatively evaluated with respect to their particle-size distributions. The effect of a few externally added large particles on the shear stability of these two types of latexes was also investigated. All the latexes selected were in the colloidal size range (less than 1 micron). The original particle sizes for the macroemulsion latexes ranged from 141 to 241 nm, and those for the miniemulsion latexes ranged from 96 to 209 nm. The miniemulsion latexes were found to be more shear stable than were their macroemulsion latex counterparts over the particle-size range investigated. This trend was repeated even in the presence of a few large particles. Additionally, seeding experiments suggest that mini- and macroemulsion latexes incur different levels of shear aggregation due to inherent differences in their particle-size distributions. The shear rate used along with the particle size and number were quantitatively shown to significantly influence the aggregation process. Finally, a quantitative method for evaluating relative shear stability in emulsion polymerization was demonstrated, which, although not very rigorous, could serve as a starting point for further quantitative isolation and investigation of the various parameters that affect the shear aggregation process.