Dispersion polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolydone using fluorine-based surfactants in supercritical carbon dioxide

We carried out a dispersion polymerization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolydone using fluorine-based surfactants, which included poly(heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate) (PHDFDA) or poly(heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate) (PHDFDMA) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). An FE-SEM and an image analyzer were used to characterize particle morphology, size, and size distribution of the resulting polymer taking into account effect of the surfactant, initiator, and monomer concentrations.