Particle Size Distribution and Refractive Index of a Latex from Combined Elastic Light Scattering and Turbidity Measurements

VEGA, J. R.; FRONTINI, G. L.; GUGLIOTTA, L. M.; ELICABE, G. E.

Valencia

Simposio; IX Simposio Latinoamericano de Polímeros (SLAP 2004) y VII Congreso Iberoamericano de Polímeros; 2004

The particle size distribution (PSD) of a polymer latex may be determined from several optical measurements, such as elastic light scattering (ELS) and turbidimetry (T). These techniques can be combined to improve the PSD estimation (1, 2). For the ELS and T data treatment, optical parameters are required. However, in most cases, the particle refractive index (PRI) is unknown. The problem of estimating both the PSD and the PRI has been previously solved for an ELS measurement at a single wavelength, l0 (3). In this work, a numerical method for simultaneously estimating the PSD and the PRI spectrum from combined ELS and T measurements is presented.