CROSS-LINKING KINETICS IN EMULSION COPOLYMERIZATION OF METHYL-METHACRYLATE ETHYLENE-GLYCOL DIMETHACRYLATE

A newly developed kinetic model for network structure development duri ng emulsion crosslinking copolymerization of vinyl and divinyl monomer is used to investigate the kinetics of emulsion crosslinking copolyme rization of methyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. Th e agreement of predicted with measured development of crosslinking den sity and that of monomer concentration in the polymer particles is fou nd to be satisfactory. It is shown that the crosslinking density is fa irly high even from very early stages of polymerization and that the p roduced polymeric networks tend to be highly heterogeneous. The kineti cs of crosslinking and resulting network structure are essentially dif ferent from those for polymerizations in homogeneous media such as bul k and solution polymerization.