Role of operating conditions in determining droplet size and viscosity of tackifier emulsions formed via phase inversion

Abstract

AbstractWater‐based pressure‐sensitive adhesives are formulated by combining a polymer latex with a tackifier emulsion. The latter is an oil‐in‐water emulsion made by the process of phase inversion. The phase inversion itself is carried out in a stirred tank fitted with a heating jacket by progressively adding water to a water‐in‐oil emulsion. The point of onset of phase inversion and the characteristics of the emulsion that is formed depend on process conditions; these include temperature, rate of water addition, and agitation speed. The role of these operating conditions is elucidated here. Increasing temperature delayed the onset of phase inversion slightly, but it did not affect emulsion particle size, provided it remained below a critical value. Agitation speed had to be increased upon increasing the water flow rate to prevent increasing the particle size. Finally, the point of onset of phase inversion could be predicted reasonably well using a model available in the literature. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 57: 96–106, 2011