Light scattering study of structure of dispersion particles based on ethylacrylate-methacrylic acid copolymers

Structural changes of colloid particles of ethyl acrylate-methacrylic acid (0-70%) copolymers on addition of alkali (pH similar to 9) or methanol were investigated. In addition to the feeding time of the monomer mixture, the content of methacrylic acid in the copolymers has been shown to influence d issolution of dispersion particles prepared by semicontinuous emulsion copo lymerization. The longer the feeding time leading to higher polymer solids and the lower the acid content in the copolymer, the more limited was disso lution of disperse particles. On the basis of consistency of the results ob tained in both media, this behaviour was explained in terms of a crosslinke d structure of the copolymer due to chain transfer reactions. (C) 2000 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.