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Emulsion (Homo)polymerization

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Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials

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Definition

Polymerization whereby monomer(s), initiator, dispersion medium, and possibly colloid stabilizers constitute initially an inhomogeneous system (through the presence of monomer droplets), resulting in particles of colloidal dimensions containing the formed polymer, called a latex.

Historical Background

As early as in 1927, processes were patented that could be referred to as emulsion polymerizations in patents by Dinsmore and Luther and Heuck. Fikentscher at a meeting of the Verein Deutscher Chemiker in 1938 gave a general description of the course of emulsion polymerization of dienes and advanced, for the first time, the hypothesis that polymerization takes place essentially in the aqueous phase and not inside the monomer droplets.

In the Second World War, high demand for synthetic rubber latex boosted the research in this field. Shortly after the Second World War, several mechanistic descriptions of the emulsion polymerization process were published of which the most...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, No 1 Pesek Road, Jurong Island, Singapore, 627833, Singapore

    Alex M. van Herk

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  1. Alex M. van Herk
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Correspondence to Alex M. van Herk .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kyoto Institute of Technology R & D Center for Bio-Based Materials, Kyoto, Japan

    Shiro Kobayashi

  2. Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung, Mainz, Germany

    Klaus Müllen

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van Herk, A.M. (2014). Emulsion (Homo)polymerization. In: Kobayashi, S., Müllen, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36199-9_259-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36199-9_259-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36199-9

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