Encapsulation of magnetic particles via miniemulsion polymerization of styrene. II. Effect of some parameters on the polymerization of styrene

Abstract Effects of some parameters on the polymerization of Styrene (St) during encapsulation of iron oxide particles via miniemulsion polymerization have been investigated. At the early stage of reaction, polymerization rate increased slightly with the increase of sonicating time, and then it leveled off. The polymerization rate increased with the increase of KPS at the early stage of polymerization, which tendency is analogous to the result of polymerization of St in miniemulsion without the presence of iron oxide particles. The increase of iron oxide not only decreased the polymerization rate but also resulted in poorer monodisperse of the particles when keeping the amount of dispersant constant. The dispersant played an important role in the encapsulation of magnetic particles via miniemulsion polymerization of St. It not only made the iron oxide disperse well in monomer droplets but also led to a much faster polymerization than that of no dispersant in system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007