Abstract
In this study, monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres were prepared by dispersion polymerization using alcohol as reaction medium to prepare colloidal clusters of the latex beads. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (MTC) were used as dispersion stabilizer and comonomer, respectively. The particle size could be controlled by adjusting the reactant compositions such as the amount of stabilizer, comonomer, and water in the reactant mixture. The size and monodispersity of the polymeric particles could be also controlled by changing the reaction medium with different alcohols other than ethanol or adjusting the polymerization temperature. The synthesized particles could be self-organized inside water-in-oil emulsion droplets by evaporation-driven self-assembly to produce colloidal clusters of the polymeric nanospheres.
Highlights
Over the past decades, the synthetic routes of polymeric latex beads have been developed by various researchers for the applications of biosensors, templates for porous materials, and colloidal crystals [1,2,3]
For the dispersion polymerization of polystyrene particles with narrow size distribution, some polymers such as PVP, polyacrylic acid (PVA), or hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) can be adopted as steric stabilizers for preventing the particles from being flocculated [17]. Polar solvent such as ethanol was mainly used as reaction medium for the dispersion polymerization of polystyrene, and the polar molecules such as PVP containing high binding affinity with polar solvents were chosen as stabilizer for the synthesis of monodispersed latex particles
Monodisperse polystyrene nanospheres were synthesized by dispersion polymerization in alcohol as reaction medium, and the particle size was controlled by adjusting the reaction parameters such as polymerization temperature and reactant compositions
Summary
The synthetic routes of polymeric latex beads have been developed by various researchers for the applications of biosensors, templates for porous materials, and colloidal crystals [1,2,3]. Since latex particles have been used in rubber industry during World War II, the synthesis of polymeric particles has attracted much attention in the field of fine chemistry such as ink materials and adhesives [4,5,6,7]. For the control of the size and size distribution of the latex beads, it is necessary to establish suitable synthesis conditions. For this purpose, special techniques have been developed including successive polymerization
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