Polymerization in inverse microemulsions, 1. Homopolymerizations of water‐ and oil‐soluble monomers in inverse microemulsions

Abstract

Abstract Homopolymerization of acrylamide (AAM) as well as of methyl methacrylate (MMA) in inverse microemulsions was studied and compared with the homopolymerization of these monomers in homogeneous systems. Initiators with various solubilities in water were used. Homopolymerization of AAM in inverse microemulsion was found to be an extremely fast reaction independent of the type of the initiator used. It is assumed that polymerization takes place predominantly in the interlayer between the aqueous phase and the oil phase. In the case of MMA the homopolymerization in inverse emulsion is a relatively slow process. It is assumed that polymerization of MMA in the systems studied takes place in the oil macrophase.