USE OF FLUORESCENCE TO STUDY INVERSE MICROEMULSION POLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLAMIDE

Steady-state fluorescence was used to study the polymerization of acry lamide (AAM) in inverse microemulsions comprising water/bis(2-(ethylhe xyl)sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT)/toluene in order to investigate the AA M depletion from various loci of microemulsion in the process of polym erization. AAM has the role of both reactive monomer and cosurfactant in this microemulsion, and also acts as a quencher for the indole fluo rescent probes: 1,2-dimethylindole, indole and L-tryptophan. These wer e selectively placed within various loci of the microemulsion (toluene , interphase and water phase), enabling us to follow the depletion of AAM by monitoring the fluorescence of each probe during polymerization . The obtained results show a monotonic decrease of the AAM concentrat ion regardless of the probe localization in the microemulsion polymeri zation system.