Abstract
Polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in ternary oil-in-water microemulsions using the cationic surfactants stearyltrimethylammonium chloride (STAC), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), or a mixture of nonionic nonylphenoxy poly(ethylene glycol) surfactants produce latex particles having weight average diameters of 17−41 nm. The small particle sizes and high molecular weights (Mw = (2.5−6.5) × 106) indicate that most samples consist mainly of particles containing one polymer chain. The particle size varies little when the surfactant to monomer weight ratio is ≥1. Polymerizations using STAC at 35 °C produce smaller particles than at 60 °C. Radical polymerization of MMA in microemulsions produces predominantly syndiotactic PMMA containing 58−61% rr triads at 60 °C and 63−65% rr triads at 35 °C. The high molecular weight PMMA samples have Tg = 125−126 °C.
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