Innovative one-step synthesis of hollow polymer particles by microsuspension polymerization of styrene and methyl acrylate with Mg(OH)2 as dispersant

• Published in: Colloid and polymer science Vol. 295; no. 4; pp. 565 - 572
• Main Authors: Yang, Zheng-kai, Wang, Zhou-lu, Mao, Ze-min, Li, Wei-shan, Zhou, Ying-jie, Liu, Xiang, Okubo, Masayoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2017
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Food Science; Nanotechnology and Microengineering; Original Contribution; Physical Chemistry; Polymer Sciences; Soft and Granular Matter; Hydrolysis; Microsuspension polymerization; Mg(OH); Hollow polymer particles
• ISSN: 0303-402X; 1435-1536
• DOI: 10.1007/s00396-017-4045-5

Several methods consisting of two or multi-step processes have been so far proposed for the preparation of sub- and micrometer-sized hollow polymer particles. In this study, we proposed an innovative one-step synthesis of the hollow polymer particles by applying microsuspension copolymerization of styrene and methyl acrylate with Mg(OH) 2 as dispersant . In this method, Mg(OH) 2 acted not only as dispersant, which covered densely at the surface of the monomer droplets, but also caused hydrolysis reaction of MA unit within styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer particles during the polymerization due to giving alkaline pH in the aqueous medium. It is also important that methyl acrylates are predominantly polymerized over styrene at the initial stage of the microsuspension copolymerization.