ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION Aqueous polymeric dispersions are heterogeneous systems consisting of polymer particles as a dispersed phase and water as a dispersion medium. When the dispersed phase is a liquid polymer, the dispersion is called an emulsion. Although arbitrarily defined, dispersions containing particles ranging in size from 0.01 urn to 1.0 jum are referred to as colloids, whereas those with particle size greater than 1.0 urn are termed suspensions. The upper limit of 1.0 urn is set for colloids since it describes systems in which thermal convection and Brownian movement compensate for the sedimentation velocity of the particles and no sedimentation occurs on storage. Polymeric and other colloids containing very fine particles appear either milky or clear, and they show the Tyndall effect when light is shone through them.
