TCE     
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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 6
Issue 2 (2001) pp 104-108
Microemulsion Polymerization: An Undergraduate Experiment in the Synthesis of Nanosized Polystyrene Particles
John A. Westbrook, Krista L. Manno, and Yuzhuo Li*
Department of Chemistry, Center for Advanced Material Processing, Clarkson
University, Potsdam, NY 13699
Received October 9, 2000. Accepted December 1, 2000
Published online: 26 January 2001
Abstract. The synthesis
of polystyrene nanoparticles through microemulsion polymerization is presented
as an undergraduate advanced organic laboratory exercise. The resultant
polymer’s molecular weight and particle size are studied as a function
of monomer and initiator concentration. A comparison of cationic vs. anionic
surfactants, and their effects on the polymer produced through microemulsion
polymerization are also investigated. A direct relationship is observed
between molecular weight and monomer concentration. A direct relationship
is also found for the particle size of the latex produced. An inverse
relationship is observed for molecular weight and particle size as the
initiator concentration was raised. Comparison of molecular weight and
latex size for cationic and anionic surfactants demonstrates that the
anionic surfactant produces both a higher molecular weight and a larger
latex size over the entire monomer and initiator concentration ranges.
Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; polymer chemistry; thermal analyses; drugs; pharmaceuticals; hydrogels; polyacrylamide
(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: yuzhuoli@clarkson.edu)
Article in PDF format (185 KB) HTML format
Issue date: April 6, 2001
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