Microporous polymer composites from microemulsion polymerization

Abstract

The development for producing microporous polymer composites by microemulsion polymerization is reviewed. The microemulsion systems consist mainly of water, methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and surfactant. Opaque polymer composites with varying morphologies are produced from the systems using non-polymerizable surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate or n-alkyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide. But transparent polymer composites with bicontinuous microstructures can only be obtained from the systems using polymerizable surfactants. The synthesized polymerizable surfactants of anionic, cationic, zwitterionic and non-ionic types have been successfully used in forming ultrafiltration membranes.