Luminescence techniques and characterization of the morphology of polymer latices. 1. Fluorescence quenching studies upon labelled acrylic dispersions

Fluorescence‐quenching measurements have been made on five differently labelled poly(n‐butyl methacrylate) latices. The accessibility of the fluorescent label to a freely diffusing quencher (nitromethane, in the case of the current study) gives information on the label's micro‐environment. However, it is shown that this is not (necessarily) relevant to considerations of the particle morphology in the absence of the label: the presence of the label during formation of the latex influences the nature of the domain in which it is finally located. Used with caution, fluorescence quenching is capable of yielding information regarding the morphology of polymer latices, especially when complemented by other techniques, such as rheology measurements or small angle neutron scattering.