Abstract Title
Stereospecific Emulsion Polymerization
Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research.
Abstract
The synthesis of rubber has been an ongoing challenge in the scientific community since 1945. We currently have the capability to synthesize rubber that resembles natural rubber, but it still does not match the quality of natural rubber in a number of ways. One of these being its glass phase transition temperature. Our project is to develop a rubber using emulsion polymerization that has a much lower glass transition temperature than the current market standard. This is being done with stereospecific emulsion polymerization, which is the same method that has been used since 1945. Although we are using CTAB (cetrimonium bromide) as the surfactant, CTAB has shown promising results as a surfactant in this way, and there has been almost no previous research in this specific area.
Stereospecific Emulsion Polymerization
The synthesis of rubber has been an ongoing challenge in the scientific community since 1945. We currently have the capability to synthesize rubber that resembles natural rubber, but it still does not match the quality of natural rubber in a number of ways. One of these being its glass phase transition temperature. Our project is to develop a rubber using emulsion polymerization that has a much lower glass transition temperature than the current market standard. This is being done with stereospecific emulsion polymerization, which is the same method that has been used since 1945. Although we are using CTAB (cetrimonium bromide) as the surfactant, CTAB has shown promising results as a surfactant in this way, and there has been almost no previous research in this specific area.