The Necessity of Stabilizing

H. Müller, K. Tauer

The stability of a polymer dispersion is its most important property. There are three different mechanisms that impart stability to polymer dispersions: (1) the electrostatic stabilization with either positive or negative charges on the particle surface arising from the initiator or ionic comonomers, (2) the steric stabilization with adsorbed or tethered polymers that are soluble in the dispersion medium, and (3) the electrosteric stabilization that is either a simple combination of electrostatic and steric stabilization or a stabilization with adsorbed or tethered polyelectrolytes. The search for new stabilizers is an important area in colloid research. By the way, the logo of our group represents a hairy particle stabilized by polymeric surfactants thus illustrating a topic of our current research. The preparation of model particles with only one kind of stabilization - exclusively steric or exclusively electrosteric stabilized particles - is another goal of our activities.