Organic chemistry

Polymer chemistry

Emulsion polymerization

Miniemulsion

Radical polymerization

Copolymer

Aqueous solution

Chemistry

Materials science

Emulsion

Styrene

Acrylate

Butyl acrylate

Radical initiator

Sodium dodecyl sulfate

Polymerization

Potassium persulfate

Polymer

Biochemistry

Pulmonary surfactant

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Aqueous emulsion copolymerizations of dibenzo[c,e]oxepane‐5‐thione (DOT) were performed with n ‐butyl acrylate (BA), styrene (S) and a combination of both. In all cases, stable latexes were obtained in less than two hours under conventional conditions; that is in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) used as surfactant and potassium persulfate (KPS) as initiator. A limited solubility of DOT in BA was observed compared to S, yielding to a more homogeneous integration of DOT units in the PS latex. In both cases, the copolymer could be easily degraded under basic conditions. Emulsion terpolymerization between DOT, BA and S allowed us to produce stable latexes not only composed of degradable chains but also featuring a broad range of glass transition temperatures.

One‐Step Synthesis of Degradable Vinylic Polymer‐Based Latexes via Aqueous Radical Emulsion Polymerization