Semibatch emulsion polymerizations are predominately run in “starve-fed” mode, but what does that really mean? In this edition of PCI’s Did You Know column, EPCEd discusses the reasons to run in starve-fed mode, and more.

This article discusses how to control and quantify the amount of mixed polymer content as it can directly relate to the final morphology of the latex particles during polymerization.

The surfactants we add to synthetic latexes have allowed us to create wonderful nanoparticles and at the same time provide colloidal stability to the dispersions. But they also can cause foaming problems when mixing and transporting the latexes, and remain in the final products, causing potential water absorption problems in films and coatings. 

This article discusses relating the colloidal stability of latexes to the ionic strength of the aqueous phase via the “critical coagulation concentration.