Fabrication of covalently-bonded polystyrene/SiO2 composites by Pickering emulsion polymerization

Abstract

Pickering emulsion polymerization has attracted considerable attention in material fabrication due to its unique surfactant-free character and versatile association of oil, water and particles for a large set of materials. In this study, SiO2 modified with Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was employed to prepare Pickering emulsion, and subsequently covalently-bonded polystyrene/SiO2(PS/SiO2) composites were synthesized by Oil-in-water Pickering emulsion polymerization. Optical micrograph, contact angle, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and dynamic laser scattering (DLS) were employed to characterize the modified SiO2, Pickering emulsion and prepared composites. It was found that prepared composites possess ragged surface morphology and SiO2 concentration has an important effect on the morphology of as-prepared composites. In addition, covalent bond between PS core and SiO2 shell was evidenced by FT-IR. © 2009 The Author(s).