Concentrated Emulsion Polymerization

Comprising one volume of Functional and Modified Polymeric Materials, Two-Volume Set, this curated collection of papers by Professor Eli Ruckenstein and co-workers discusses the merits of concentrated emulsion polymerization systems, as well as their ability to yield a broad variety of products with high synthetic efficiency. Comprised of carefully curated chapters previously published by these pioneering scientists in the field, this volume offers a comprehensive view of the subject and presents functional and modified polymeric materials prepared by concentrated emulsion polymerization approaches. It covers conductive polymer composites, core-shell latex particles, enzyme/catalyst carriers, and plastics toughening and compatibilization polymerization. The authors have performed seminal studies on the preparation of functional and modified polymeric materials via concentrated emulsion polymerization. The corresponding research papers, after further selection and classification, are collected in the four chapters of this book.

Comprising one volume of Functional and Modified Polymeric Materials, Two-Volume Set, this curated collection of papers by Professor Eli Ruckenstein and co-workers discusses the merits of concentrated emulsion polymerization systems, as well as their ability to yield a broad variety of products with high synthetic efficiency. Comprised of carefully curated chapters previously published by these pioneering scientists in the field, this volume offers a comprehensive view of the subject and presents functional and modified polymeric materials prepared by concentrated emulsion polymerization approaches. It covers conductive polymer composites, core-shell latex particles, enzyme/catalyst carriers, and plastics toughening and compatibilization polymerization. The authors have performed seminal studies on the preparation of functional and modified polymeric materials via concentrated emulsion polymerization. The corresponding research papers, after further selection and classification, are collected in the four chapters of this book.

Comprising one volume of Functional and Modified Polymeric Materials, Two-Volume Set, this curated collection of papers by Professor Eli Ruckenstein and co-workers discusses the merits of concentrated emulsion polymerization systems, as well as their ability to yield a broad variety of products with high synthetic efficiency. Comprised of carefully curated chapters previously published by these pioneering scientists in the field, this volume offers a comprehensive view of the subject and presents functional and modified polymeric materials prepared by concentrated emulsion polymerization approaches. It covers conductive polymer composites, core-shell latex particles, enzyme/catalyst carriers, and plastics toughening and compatibilization polymerization. The authors have performed seminal studies on the preparation of functional and modified polymeric materials via concentrated emulsion polymerization. The corresponding research papers, after further selection and classification, are collected in the four chapters of this book.

There is a large body of Soviet work on emulsion polymerization, spanning a period of over three decades, that has been published primarily in the Russian language. Most of this has remained untranslated into English and hence un available to most other scientists. The value of this book lies primarily in the fact that it brings together the most important of these Soviet contributions, along with comment and analysis by the authors, who may be considered among the foremost authorities in this field in the Soviet Union. But the hundreds of literature citations go far beyond the borders of the Soviet Union and serve as an excellent bibliography of the world literature on emulsion polymerization up to the time this book was written. The book covers both fundamental and applied aspects. In the former are included discussions of particle formation mechanisms, a comprehensive theory of emulsion polymerization, copolymerization of polar monomers, and particle morphology and its implications with regard to derived film properties. Among the applied aspects are discussions of continuous emulsion polymerization, both tubular reactors and continuous stirred tank cascades, and various aspects con cerning the manufacture of some of the most important monomers, such as styrene, butadiene, vinyl acetate, methyl methacrylate, acrylonitrile, and chloroprene. This book will be an indispensable reference source for scientists who are entering the field as well as those who are experienced and who have wanted a ready access to this large body of literature.

It is particularly appropriate that this symposium on the emulsion polymeriza tion of vinyl acetate was held in recognition of the industrial importance of poly(vinyl acetate) and vinyl acetate copolymers, and their rather unique properties among emulsion polymers in general. Poly( vinyl acetate) latexes were the first synthetic polymer latexes to be made on a commercial scale: their production using polyvinyl alcohol as emulsifier began in Germany during the mid-1930s and has continued to the present day, growing steadily with the years. Indeed, poly(vinyl acetate) latexes prepared with polyvinyl alcohol are still one of the mainstays of the adhesives industry. With the passing of time, however, vinyl acetate copolymers have been developed: copolymers with maleate esters such as dibutyl maleate, acrylate esters such as ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate, versatic acid esters, and, more recently, ethylene. These versatile copolymers have found increasing use in more sophisticated adhesives with specialized properties, adhesives for clay coatings on paper, carpet backing, and interior and exterior paints. Thus more than 45 years after the first commercial production of vinyl acetate latexes, their use is still growing, both in actual quantities and different applications. The industrial importance of vinyl acetate latexes makes the mechanism and kinetics of their emulsion polymerization of practical as well as scientific interest.

An explanation for engineers and chemists working in such industries as paper, paint, and textiles, of the operating mechanisms involved in the physics and chemistry of polymers and colloids as they apply to emulsion polymer manufacture and use. Outlines the various available materials, how they are