Síntesis y caracterización de microesferas poliméricas : Efecto de la fracción de monómero sobre la morfología, tamaño y distribución de tamaños de microesferas de poliestireno obtenidas por polimerización en suspensión.

Abstract

Suspension polymerization is a technique that employs a two-phase system with an aqueous phase and a dispersed phase. The aqueous phase is the one containing water or any medium insoluble in the monomer and a stabilizer to avoid coalescence of the polymer during its formation. On the contrary, the dispersed phase is the one containing the monomer and the initiator. In this type of systems there are different variables that affect the quality of the final product. In general, they can be divided into two components: those associated with the process such as: the agitation system, temperature control, etc. and those generated by the influences of the components such as types of initiators and stabilizer, aqueous medium, type of monomer, monomer concentration, etc. But one of the most influential is the relationship between the dispersed phase (monomer) and the continuous phase (water). The relation between the dispersed phase and the aqueous phase, in general, is altered by the increase or decrease of the monomer in the water since it generates the coalescence of the monomer droplets in the water is not stable, but if the agitation system, temperature and mechanical processes are better controlled, this type of effects will occur less frequently, thus obtaining a more homogeneous product and a better performance.