Abstract

Poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) latexes were prepared by aqueous dispersion polymerization at 60 °C using poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) [PNVP] as a steric stabilizer. The mean latex diameter can be controlled over a wide range by varying the synthesis parameters (initiator type, stabilizer concentration, addition of co-surfactant or comonomer), and narrow size distributions were observed in most cases. These sterically-stabilized latex particles were characterized by electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Malvern Mastersizer and FT-IR spectroscopy. The presence of the PNVP stabilizer at the surface of the latex particles was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the stabilizer content was assessed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and nitrogen microanalyses. Colloidally stable surfactant-stabilized poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate) latexes could also be prepared in the absence of any PNVP stabilizer. Since 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate contains a small amount of dimethacrylate impurity, these latexes are actually lightly cross-linked; their degree of swelling in D₂O, d₄-methanol and d₅-pyridine was investigated using dynamic light scattering and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Finally, three ionic water-soluble comonomers were successfully copolymerized with 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate under aqueous dispersion conditions, as judged by aqueous electrophoresis studies.