New Insights into the Cationic Polymerization in Emulsion Catalyzed by Water-Dispersible Lewis Acid Surfactant Complexes: A Case Study with p-Methoxystyrene

The process of cationic polymerization of p-methoxystyrene in emulsion using recently discovered water-dispersible Lewis acid surfactant complexes (LASCs) has been investigated in detail. These latter are prepared from specific branched sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and different metal salts (namely ytterbium, scandium, and indium). First, the reaction rate increases while changing the nature of Yb salt in the range Yb(OTf)3 > YbBr3 > YbCl3 >...