Mechanistic Aspects of Aqueous Heterogeneous Radical Polymerization of Styrene under Compressed CO2

Water and Carbon Dioxide: A Unique Solvent for the Catalytic Polymerization of Ethylene in Miniemulsion

The catalytic polymerization of ethylene is performed in water pressurized with CO₂ . The size of the initial monomer droplets and of the resulting polymer particles can be varied by simply changing the CO₂ pressure. Furthermore, at identical ethylene partial pressure, the polymerizations performed in the presence of CO₂ are significantly faster than in its absence. Thus, the combination of CO₂ and water is a promising green solvent for catalytic emulsion polymerizations.