Particle Morphology

Abstract

This chapter discusses the morphology of latex particles obtained mainly by (mini)emulsion polymerisation. It describes some applications of these particles, and discusses the factors that influence the particle morphology. Mathematical models that describe and predict the particle morphology as a function of polymerisation variables are presented along with some experimental examples. Structured polymer particles can be synthesized by chemical and physical methods. Among the physical methods, heterocoagulation and solvent evaporation have been used to produce capricious particle morphologies. Synthetic latexes are mainly used in applications (e.g., paints, adhesives, paper and coatings) that require the formation of a film. Film formation is described as consisting of three main processes: (i) evaporation of water to achieve the close-packing of particles, (ii) deformation of particles to fill all the void space, and (iii) interdiffusion of the polymer across particle interfaces to fuse particle boundaries.