An Interesting Phenomenon in Dispersion Polymerisation of Styrene: The Relationship between Conversion and Quantity of Microspheres
A phenomenon which has been ignored in most previous research, i.e., the relationship between conversion and the actual amount of microspheres in the dispersion polymerisation of styrene, has been researched. This led to a discussion of the polymerisation mechanism and the microsphere preparation process. The results showed that the actual amount of microspheres was always lower than the conversion, and the ratio of the two was different in different media. They also showed that with the decreasing polarity and solubility parameter of the medium, the conversion of styrene gradually reduced, and the character of the polymerisation was partly emulsion and partly solution. The average diameter and distribution of the microspheres in ethanol-water, ethanol, isopropanol and butanol were investigated too, and it was found that they increased with increasing polarity of the medium.