Synthesis of Various Poly(2-hydroxyethyl vinyl ether)-Stabilized Latex Particles via Surfactant-Free Emulsion Polymerization in Water

Abstract

Following the recent success of the controlled radical polymerization of hydroxy-functional vinyl ethers [Macromolecules 2016, 49, 1563; 2017, 50, 8346], we report a surfactant-free, batch emulsion polymerization stabilized by the poly(hydroxy-functional vinyl ether)s. A series of emulsion polymerizations of various hydrophobic monomers such as vinyl acetate (VAc), methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl acrylate (EA), and styrene (St) were performed using poly(2-hydroxyethyl vinyl ether) (PHEVE) with hydrophilic azoinitiator, 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride. In the emulsion polymerization in water using PHEVE as a steric stabilizer, the polymerization proceeded smoothly to form PHEVE-stabilized spherical particles without any coagulation. The mean particle diameter could be controlled over a size range (261 nm–ca. 1 μm) with relatively narrow size distributions by varying the synthesis parameters. Furthermore, one-pot emulsion polymerization was also conducted from HEVE to poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA...