Effect of hydrophilicity of polymer particles on their glass transition temperatures in the emulsion state

Promotion of morphology transition of di-block copolymer nano-objects via RAFT dispersion copolymerization

Promotion of morphology transition of di-block copolymer nano-objects was achieved via RAFT dispersion copolymerization because of the enhancement of the mobility of the solvophobic block.

Hydroplasticization of polymers: model predictions and application to emulsion polymers

The plasticization of a polymer by solvent has a dramatic impact on both its thermal and mechanical behavior. With increasing demand for zero volatile organic compound materials and coatings, water is often the sole solvent used both in the polymer synthesis and in formulation and application; latex colloids derived from emulsion polymerization are a good example. The impact of water on the glass transition temperature of a polymer thus becomes a critical physical property to predict. It has been shown here that in order to do so, one simply needs the dry state glass transition temperature (T(g)) of the (co)polymer, the T(g) of water, and the saturated weight fraction of water for the sample in question. Facile calculation of the later can be achieved using water sorption data and the group additivity method. With these readily available data, we show that a form of the Flory-Fox equation can be used to predict the hydroplasticized state of copolymers in exceptional agreement with direct experimental measurement. Furthermore, extending the prediction to include the impact of the degree of ionization for pH responsive components, only with extra knowledge of the pK(a), was also validated by experiment.

A novel approach for preparation of micrometer-sized, monodisperse dimple and hemispherical polystyrene particles

Micrometer-sized, monodisperse dimple and hemispherical polystyrene (PS) particles were successfully prepared by heating (55-70 degrees C) of spherical PS particles dispersed in methanol/water media (40/60 to 80/20, w/w) in the presence of decane droplets, and subsequent cooling down to room temperature. Decane was absorbed by the PS particles during the heating process. Decane-absorbed PS particles phase-separated into PS and decane phases in the inside during the cooling process, and eventually dimple and/or hemispherical particles were formed by removal of the decane phase from phase-separated PS/decane particles by evaporation. The size of the dimple, which is determined by the volume of decane phase-separated from decane-absorbed PS particles during the cooling process, increased with increases in the heating temperature and the methanol content.