Emulsion Polymerization

Emulsion polymerization is a process for manufacturing polymers in which monomer droplets are dispersed in water with the help of a surfactant and then polymerized into fine polymer particles, producing a stable milky emulsion called a latex. The technique was developed and industrialized on a large scale in the United States during the Second World War as part of a government-led synthetic rubber program, after the loss of most of the country's natural rubber supply, and it became the standard method for manufacturing styrene-butadiene synthetic rubber. Emulsion polymerization remains a major industrial process today, used to manufacture synthetic rubber, latex paints, adhesives and many other polymer products.