Morphology development in polychloroprene–polystyrene latex interpenetrating polymer networks

✍ Scribed by R. P. Burford; C. D. Vo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 443 KB
• Volume: 74
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19991017)74:3<629::aid-app16>3.0.co;2-0

✦ Synopsis

Latex interpenetrating polymer networks (LIPNs) have been prepared using a crosslinked polychloroprene latex as the seed emulsion, followed by the in situ polymerization of styrene, typically with a 10% divinyl benzene crosslinker. Polychloroprene-crosslinked polystyrene (XPS) ratios ranging from 70/30 to 40/60 were used, with the second monomer being added as a single aliquot rather than by "starvation" routes. The majority of the work has been conducted using the water-soluble persulfate initiator method, which entails lengthy (ϳ 6 h) polymerizations. To follow the development of microstructure, polymerizations were also stopped at 0.5, 1, and thence hourly intervals up to 6 h, so that any effect of time on shell and domains could be seen by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Parallel studies using azo-bis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as initiator at the same temperature were conducted. Products were also studied, after staining, by TEM. For the persulfate initiator, domain structures predominated for the 70/30 ratio, but polystyrene-rich shells are found in all cases, with increasing thickness as the chloroprene/styrene ratio was reduced. The styrene-rich products (i.e., 40/60 Neoprene/XPS ratio) appear to have larger unstained domains suggesting phase separation. For the AIBN-initiated styrene polymerization, shells are less evident, and where they exist, are both thinner and less continuously developed. Domain sizes are somewhat larger. This relatively hydrophobic initiator has caused polymerization predominately in the interior of each latex particle. The particle size distribution of the seed neoprene latex is broad and bimodal. As the LIPNs form, the larger diameter component increases and little evidence for fresh nucleation, in the form of small diameter particles, is seen.