Synthesis of Polysiloxanes In Microemulsion Via ring opening of D₄

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) in microemulsion with acidic catalyst. The structure and properties of microemulsion were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Photo Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS). The effect of the variation in pH value, amount of catalyst, emulsifier and monomer dropping rate on the properties of microemulsion were investigated and discussed. The results showed that the particle size of the latex becomes smaller, and the distribution size becomes wider with increasing the content of catalyst and emulsifier. When pH value changed, the reaction rate of ring-opening of D4 was faster with strong acid than that under the weak acid condition. The emulsification of 2 % OP-10 (Alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether) and 3.0% DBSA (Dodecyl benzenesulfonic acid) reached to equilibrium in microemulsion. As the amount of OP-10 increases, the size of particles lowered and their corresponding distribution widened. It is observed that emulsifier (OP-10) does not affect the transparency of the microemulsion in the case of the application of DBSA. As the monomer dropping time increased, the grain size diminished and the size distribution widened. PCS results showed that the smallest particle size was around 20nm. Taking into account of the stability of the microemulsions, the dropping time of the monomer was around 30 min.