Macromolecules, Vol.48, No.13, 4312-4318, 2015
An Innovative Approach to Implementation of Organotellurium-Mediated Radical Polymerization (TERP) in Emulsion Polymerization
A novel method has been developed for organotellurium-mediated radical polymerization (TERP) in emulsion, herein implemented for styrene using the low molecular weight TERP agent ethyl-2-butyltellanyl-2-methyl propionate (BTEE) at 90 degrees C in the absence of a conventional radical initiator. The Method is based on the use of relatively high concentrations of the two surfactants polyoxethylene(20) oleyl other (Brij98; nonionic surfactant) and tetradecyltrime-thylammonium bromide (TTAB; cationic surfactant) in the presence of toluene. This is a one-pot approach that does not require high energy mixing nor the use of a water-soluble macroTERP agent, but instead relies on a high initial monomer fraction being located in surfactant micelles (importantly, the system is not a microemulsion). Good control/livingness was obtained in conjunction with satisfactory colloidal stability and relatively narrow particle size distributions with particle diameters mainly in the range well below 100 nm.