Preparation of hexagon bowl-like cross-linked polymer microspheres with ordered array and same orientation through direct pyrolysis of soft-core/hard-shell PS particles

Abstract

In this paper, using the soft-core/hard-shell polystyrene–divinylbenzene microspheres prepared by soap-free emulsion polymerization as building blocks, hexagon bowl-like polymer microspheres (BLPM) with ordered array and same orientation were successfully prepared through direct pyrolysis. The rim thickness and the morphology of the BLPM could be adjusted through changing the content of a cross-linking agent or the calcination conditions such as temperature, time, and heating rate. Besides, extrusion between microspheres also plays an important role on the cavity size and the hexagonal structure. The morphology of BLPM was characterized by SEM and TEM. FT-IR, EDS, and differential scanning calorimetry–thermogravimetric were also used to analyze the mechanism. Due to these, cross-linked BLPM have some special properties such as high thermal stability, solvent resistance, narrow size distribution, and ordered array, which will broaden their applications in many areas.