Latexes obtained by emulsion polymerization are currently used in synthetic elastomers, bulk plastics, and coating applications. In recent years, they have also been applied to the production of functional polymer colloids for electronic devices and biomedical fields. Typical emulsion polymerization involves the use of low molecular weight surfactants (emulsifiers) in order to polymerize hydrophobic monomers in water.¹⁾ However, when film is formed, low molecular weight surfactants tend to migrate to the interface between the film and air, which is known to lead to a decrease in quality in terms of water resistance, gloss, adhesion, etc.²⁾ For these reasons, small molecule surfactant-free emulsion polymerization has attracted great interests in both academia and industry.

In recent years, latex synthesis via surfactant-free RAFT-mediated emulsion polymerization using trithiocarbonate compounds as chain transfer agents has been reported.^2-7) In this method, a hydrophilic macro RAFT agents with a molecular weight of several thousand are synthesized, and then hydrophobic monomers are added to produce a surfactant-free latex in one pot. This article presents RAFT agents that have been utilized in such polymerizations. In addition, latexes internally crosslinked with crosslinking agents to increase stability have also been reported.⁸⁾ RAFT-mediated emulsion polymerization has the potential to be extended to a wide range of vinyl monomers and is a small molecule surfactant-free emulsion polymerization technique.

Products

Page Top

Application

Latex synthesis via hydrophilic macro RAFT agent ³⁾

Page Top

Related Product Category Page

• Reversible Addition Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) Polymerization Reagents

Page Top

Product Brochure

Page Top

References

1. 1) Fundamentals of Emulsion Polymerization
   • P. A. Lovell, F. J. Schork, Biomacromolecules 2020, 21, 4396.
2. 2) Enhanced Water Barrier Properties of Surfactant-Free Polymer Films Obtained by MacroRAFT-Mediated Emulsion Polymerization
   • I. M. Fabiani, J. L. Haye, M. Schulz, Y. Liu, M. Lee, B. Duffy, F. D’Agosto, M. Lansalot, J. L. Keddie, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10, 11221.
3. 3) Ab Initio Emulsion Polymerization by RAFT-Controlled Self-Assembly
   • C. J. Ferguson, R. J. Hughes, D. Nguyen, B. T. T. Pham, R. G. Gilbert, A. K. Serelis, C. H. Such, B. S. Hawkett, Macromolecules 2005, 38, 2191.
4. 4) Polymerization-induced self-assembly via RAFT in emulsion: effect of Z-group on the nucleation step
   • T. R. Guimarães, Y. L. Bong, S. W. Thompson, G. Moad, S. Perrier, P. B. Zetterlund, Polym. Chem. 2021, 12, 122.
5. 5) Effective ab Initio Emulsion Polymerization under RAFT Control
   • C. J. Ferguson, R. J. Hughes, B. T. T. Pham, B. S. Hawkett, R. G. Gilbert, A. K. Serelis, C. H. Such, Biomacromolecules 2002, 35, 9243.
6. 6) Amphiphilic Block Copolymers from a Direct and One-pot RAFT Synthesis in Water
   • I. Chaduc, W. Zhang, J. Rieger, M. Lansalot, F. D'Agosto, B. Charleux, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2011, 32, 1270.
7. 7) Poly(vinyl acetate-co-ethylene) particles prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization in the presence of a hydrophilic RAFT/MADIX macromolecular chain transfer agent
   • J. Delorme, O. Boyron, P. Y. Dugas, P. E. Dufils, D. J. Wilson, V. Monteil, F. D'Agosto, M. Lansalot, Polym. Chem. 2020, 11, 7410.
8. 8) Hydrophilic MacroRAFT-Mediated Emulsion Polymerization: Synthesis of Latexes for Cross-Linked and Surfactant-Free Films
   • J. L. Haye, I. M. Fabiani, M. Schulz, J. L. Keddie, F. D’Agosto, M. Lansalot, Macromolecules 2017, 50, 9315.

Page Top