Reactive Surfactants in heterophase polymerization:: Colloidal properties, film-water absorption, and surfactant exudation

In this article the results obtained with latexes prepared by emulsion polymerization with a conventional surfactant and a polymerizable surfactant (surfmer) are presented. For this study, well-defined styrene-butylacrylate latexes with a conventional nonreactive surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and a maleate diester surfmer, of which films can be easily cast, were used. The latex with the surfmer was prepared following a surfmer addition strategy to maximize the amount of surfmer bound to the particle surface, and not buried in the particle interior. The latex properties in terms of mechanical stability, film-water absorption, and film-surfactant exudation were assessed and compared. The mechanical stability and water-absorption properties of the latex prepared with surfmer were better than those of the latex with sodium dodecyl sulfate. Additionally, by using a surfmer the surfactant migration to the film-substrate and film-air interfaces can be inhibited. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.