title: Synthesis and properties study of the uniform nonspherical styrene/methacrylic acid copolymer latex particles.
abstract: A facile method to prepare the nonspherical amphiphilic random copolymer of poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid) (poly(St-co-PMAA)) latex particles with well-defined shapes and high yields by one-step batch emulsifier-free polymerization was demonstrated. In our strategy, only varying the molar ratio of styrene (St) to methacrylic acid (MAA), no seed-particles, no cross-linker, and no multistep control procedures were needed. Due to the presence of carboxyl groups on the surface of (poly(St-co-PMAA) latex particles, these latex particles can be used as templates for fabricating core-shell nonspherical functional materials, such as poly(St-co-PMAA)@SiO2 and poly(St-co-PMAA)@polypyrrole). The corresponding nonspherical hollow structures (SiO2 and polypyrrole) could be obtained after removal of the templates. In addition, poly(St-co-PMAA) latex particles exhibit interesting morphologies in ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University , Ningbo 315211, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wenqin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guohong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Yanqiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wujin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen