Preparation of hybrid nanocomposite particles via in situ miniemulsion polymerization and the sol-gel process

Abstract

In this paper, the preparation of polymer/silica nanocomposite particles in a convenient one-step process, via in situ miniemulsion polymerization and the sol-gel technique, is described. The products were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Moreover, the effects of various reaction parameters, including the content of silica and the concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate and potassium persulfate, on the particle size and size distribution were also investigated. It is shown that polymer/silica hybrid nano-composite particles were successfully synthe-sized in one step by this novel technique. © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KCaA.