Dispersion copolymerization of acrylamide and sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate in aqueous salt solution stabilized with a macro-RAFT agent

Dispersion copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) and sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate (AMPSNa) in aqueous ammonium sulfate (AS) solution was performed without mechanical stirring using a macro-RAFT agent sodium poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonate) trithiocarbonate (PAMPSNa-TTC) as the stabilizer and 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamide) dihydrochloride as the initiator. The effects of various polymerization parameters were systematically investigated regarding dispersion stability, particle size, molecular weight and apparent viscosity. A new mechanism for particle formation and the particle stability of aqueous dispersion polymerization was proposed.