Particle size control in seed technique emulsion polymerization using hydroxyl group-containing modifier

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING A POLYMER LATEX HAVING POLYMER PARTICLES OF A SIZE WHEREIN 80% BY NUMBER HAVE A DIAMETER NOT GREATER THAN 1.25 MICRONS AND AT LEAST 95% BY WEIGHT HAVE A DIAMETER OF AT LEAST 0.05 MICRON IN AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION OF A POLYMERIZABLE MONOMER CONTAINING A SINGLE LEFINIC DOUBLE BOND WHEREIN THE DISPERSION CONTAINS A SURFACTANT IN AN AMOUNT AT ALL TIMES SUFFICIENT TO STABILIZE THE LATEX AND IN A CONCENTRATON BELOW THAT NECESSARY TO FORM MICELLES IN THE WATER PHASE, A WATER SOLUBLE FREE READICAL INITIATOR, SEED MATERIAL OF AN AVERAGLE DIAMETR OF LESS THAN 1.25 MICRONS AND PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF FROM ABOUT 0.01% TO ABOUT 50% OF THE WEIGHT OF POLYMER PRESENT IN THE FINAL POLYMER LATEX AND BEING OF A COMPOSITION WETTABLE BY THE MONOMER BEING POLYMERIZED AND INSOLUBLE IN THE MONOMER UNDER CONDITIONS OF POLYMERIZATION AND CAPABLE OF HAVING POLYMER FORMED THEREON, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES ADDING AN ALCOHOL HAVING THE CHEMICAL FORMULA R(OR'')NOH WHEREIN R IS A HYDROCARBON RADICAL CONTAINING FROM 8 TO 28 CARBON ATOMS, R'' IS A RADICAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHYLENE AND PROPYLENE AND N IS A WHOLE NUMBER LESS THAN 6 AND INCLUDING 0 AND PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT FROM ABOUT 0.5 TO 5 PARTS PER 100 PARTS OF MONOMER BEING POLYMERIZED.