use of water minimizes cost in comparison with the use of solvents in

Emulsion polymerization takes place almost exclusively in the interior of emulsifier molecule aggregates called micelles. These aggregates act as a meeting place for the monomer and the water soluble initiator. As polymerization proceeds, the micelles grow by the addition of monomer from the aqueous solution whose concentration is replenished by dissolution of monomer from the monomer droplets. In Fig. 3.17, a schematic representation of an emulsion polymerization system is shown.