ABSTRACT
Poly( vinyl acetate) (PV Ac) latexes prepared in the presence of poly( vinyl alcohol) (PV A) as a protective colloid are widely used in adhesives, paints, textile finishes, coatings, and so on. The most important properties required for those uses are that the PV Ac latexes have a high viscosity and a characteristic viscosity behavior. The physical and application properties of the PV Ac latexes will be generally affected by the amount, degree of hydrolysis, or molecular weight of the PV A or the degree of blocking of vinyl acetate (V Ac) units in the PVA chain. However, it is known that the properties are easily controlled by polymerization conditions except the temperature of polymerization and the stirring speed; e.g., the kind, amount, and addition time of the initiator, and the addition method ofVAc under the same charge of ingredients for polymerization [1].
