Polymerization of Micelle-Forming Surfactants

Abstract

In this review we discuss the principal aspects of the polymerization of micelle-forming surfactants in the aggregated state. The effect of monomer aggregation-organization on polymerization and polymer products has been studied on several occasions [1–3], such as thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals [4, 5], liquid—liquid interfaces [6–8], micelles [9–11], vesicles [12], etc. Such monomer aggregation-organization may produce important modifications in polymer structure and tacticity, in rates of polymerization kinetics, etc. In this sense, micellar polymerization means that the micelle is not merely the medium in which polymerization takes place, as is the case in emulsion polymerization, but instead the micelle-forming surfactant monomers themselves underero polymerization.