Competitive particle growth at different conditions of oligo-micelle formation in hydro-alcoholic solution of anionic double-chain emulsifier via batch emulsion polymerization of vinyl chloride

The condition of oligo-micelle formation of sodium di-isodecyl sulfosuccinate (SDIDS) emulsifier in hydroalcoholic solutions is used to study particle formation of vinyl chloride emulsion polymerization in a batch reactor. The change on micellization behavior was investigated by critical micelle concentration (CMC) and zeta potential parameters. To detect the occurrence of secondary nucleation or particle aggregation, or both the particle size and number of particles were investigated as a criterion for the particle nucleation and growth process. The results showed that the alcohol (co-solvent) content had a strong effect on the oligo-micelles formation and emulsion polymerization performance. Namely, decreasing the alcohol content and increasing the anion content in the SDIDS samples increased the overall reaction rate and latex stability. This also decreased the chain growth rate, the particle size, and the coarse particle formation. Also, the results showed that different condition of oligo-micelle formation would lead to different particle growth history