One‐Step Synthesis of Degradable Vinylic Polymer‐Based Latexes via Aqueous Radical Emulsion Polymerization
Paul Galanopoulo, Noémie Gil, Didier Gigmès, Catherine Lefay, Yohann Guillaneuf, Maëlle Lages, Julien Nicolas, Muriel Lansalot, Franck D’Agosto
Abstract
Aqueous emulsion copolymerizations of dibenzo[c,e]oxepane-5-thione (DOT) were performed with n-butyl acrylate (BA), styrene (S) and a combination of both. In all cases, stable latexes were obtained in less than two hours under conventional conditions; that is in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) used as surfactant and potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator. A limited solubility of DOT in BA was observed compared to S, yielding to a more homogeneous integration of DOT units in the PS latex. In both cases, the copolymer could be easily degraded under basic conditions. Emulsion terpolymerization between DOT, BA and S allowed us to produce stable latexes not only composed of degradable chains but also featuring a broad range of glass transition temperatures.