Abstract

AbstractAn improved strategy to synthesize SiO2‐PMMA nanoparticles with tunable shell thickness is demonstrated, via iron (III) catalyst‐mediated activators generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP). To investigate the effect of the content monomer and ligand on the PMMA shell thickness, hydrophobic PMMA‐PSt diblock copolymer brushes on the surface of the silica nanospheres are designed and synthesized by AGET ATRP. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) show that the product has a core‐shell‐like structure and that the average shell thickness of the PMMA can easily be tuned by simply adjusting the amount of monomer or ligand. In addition, the Mn of the PMMA can be tuned from 37 800 to 62 400 g mol−1 by changing the shell thickness, and the PDI is 1.213–1.473. These results confirm the living nature of the polymerization. magnified image

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