• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.10-23
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• 2001

In order to increase the lower values of % grafting and monomer conversion in the emulsion graft polymerization of methylmethacrylate(MMA) onto sodium alginate (SA; a polymer electrolyte) with alginic acid-g-PMMA, the graft polymerization with water soluble (methanol and acetone) and insoluble solvents was carried out using a varity of solvent amounts and agitating rates. And some physical properties of the graft polymer were also investigated. In the polymerizations with water insoluble solvent, there were pronounced improvements in both % grafting and MMA conversion by the promotion of MMA diffusion from the core to the SA adsorpted on the outer layer of particle and that of MMA complex formation with SA. And the effect was larger for the solvents (cyclohexane, decalin) which do not dissolve PMMA. On the other hand, in the polymerization with water soluble solvent, there was an significant increase in MMA conversion and a considerable increase in the % grafting by the destruction of electrical double layer around the SA chains, abstracting the hydrated water in the layer and the effect was more potential in the case of methanol which is a precipitant of PMMA.