Abstract
Controlled radical polymerization of n-butyl acrylate by reverse iodine transfer polymerization (RITP) was achieved in ab initio emulsion polymerization to yield a stable and uncolored latex (particle diameter dp = 106 nm). Hydrolysis of iodine, I2, was responsible for an upward deviation from the targeted molecular weight = 10 400 g · mol-1. The iodide concentration [I-] was followed by an iodide selective electrode and the amount of efficient iodine (33%) was successfully correlated with the experimental molecular weight = 31 000 g · mol-1. Finally, a simplified mechanism of RITP in ab initio emulsion polymerization taking into account the iodine hydrolysis was proposed.