Emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate using poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylate)‐graft‐polyoxyethylene as the stabilizer

Abstract

Abstract This study involved the use of an amphipathic graft copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate‐ co ‐2‐hydroxypropyl methacrylate)–graft–polyoxyethylene, as a stabilizer in the emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The stabilizing effectiveness of this graft copolymer was studied as a function of its chemical structure. It was found that the stabilizing effectiveness of the graft copolymer was independent of the molecular weight of the backbone within the investigated range of 4 × 10 3 g/mol to 2 × 10 4 g/mol. In all cases, stable emulsion polymerizations of methyl methacrylate were observed. Effective stabilization also occurred when the graft moieties possessed a molecular weight of either 2 × 10 3 g/mol or 5 × 10 3 g/mol. However, the stabilizing effectiveness was found to be dependent on the amount of polyoxyethylene (POE) contained in the graft copolymer. In this case, graft copolymers possessing 67% by weight POE were poor stabilizers, but ones with 85% POE were very good stabilizers. Moreover, the graft copolymers were found to be superior stabilizers as compared to POE homopolymers.