The Effects of Interfacial Properties of the Styrene/Water on the Styrene Latex Particle Properties using Triton X-100/SDS Surfactant Mixture
The blending effects of surfactants on the polystyrene emulsion polymerization were studied. The blending of Triton X-100 and SDS affects to the interfacial properties of the styrene monomer and water phases, and finally, the properties of the polystyrene latex particles. As the blending ratio of SDS/Triton X-100 increases, the interfacial tension and CMC of the blended surfactants were decreased and results in a reducing the size of the latex particles. It was found that the interfacial tension was reduced when the surfactant were blended. By increasing the SDS content, the interfacial tension was reduced, and, at a certain condition, the interfacial tension was reached to an extremely low value to form micro-emulsion and the nano-sized latex particles (80~110 nm).