Kinetics of emulsion polymerization of styrene in the presence of polyurethane resins

The role of reactive and non-reactive polyurethane resins in the emulsion polymerization of styrene was investigated. They exhibited low cmc values, high internal viscosities, and high solubilization ability for hydrophobic materials, i.e., pyrene. Continuous nucleation and broad particle size distribution were remarkable in the resin system, especially near and above the cmc. The average number of radicals per particle was below 0.5 and the parameter m in the resin system showed higher values than the estimated values from classical micellar nucleation theory.