Identification of nucleation loci in emulsion polymerization processes. II. A systematic study of liquid-liquid emulsions

Identification of the main nucleation sites and characterizing them in terms of their size and composition is prime objective of this research effort. Different nucleation sites have been proposed as the most likely nucleation sites by various researchers. Recent advances in the development of the spectroscopic techniques enable comprehensive characterization of the emulsion at the beginning of the reaction. In this paper, we present the experimental evidence of the existence of a previously unidentified nano-droplet population of size range 30 to 100 nm in diameter using spectroscopy. Presence of about seventy to eighty percent of the dispersed phase in the nano-droplet population and large interfacial area make them the most probable particle nucleation loci in emulsion polymerization processes. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.