Effect of water-soluble cross-linker on the growth and properties of ethyl acrylate–methacrylic acid emulsion opolymer particles

Model ethyl acrylate–methacrylic acid copolymer latices and latices of particles cross-linked by copolymerizing small amounts of water-soluble N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide were prepared by nonseeded semicontinuous emulsion copolymerization. Dynamic and static light scattering measurements indicated a slightly higher degree of polydispersity in the case of cross-linked particles, especially in the initial stages of polymerization. The hydrodynamic volume of the alkalinized particles controlling the viscosity properties of the dispersions decreased with the time of polymerization and in the case of cross-linked copolymer almost reached a constant value at about 1 h. The different character of the particle structure was confirmed by differences in particle disintegration after alkali addition or in the presence of methanol.