title: Intriguing Morphology Evolution from Noncrosslinked Poly(tert-butyl acrylate) Seeds with Polar Functional Groups in Soap-Free Emulsion Polymerization of Styrene.
abstract: Herein, we demonstrate a facile approach to prepare anisotropic poly(tert-butyl acrylate)/polystyrene (PtBA/PS) composite particles with controllable morphologies by soap-free seeded emulsion polymerization (SSEP). In the first step, noncrosslinked PtBA seeds with self-stabilizing polar functional groups (e.g., ester groups and radicals) are synthesized by soap-free emulsion polymerization. During the subsequent SSEP of styrene (St), PS bulges are nucleated on the PtBA seeds due to the microphase separation confined in the latex particles. The morphology evolution of PtBA/PS composite particles is tailored by varying the monomer/seed feed ratio, polymerization time, and polymerization temperature. Many intriguing morphologies, including hamburger-like, litchi-like, mushroom-like, strawberry-like, bowl-like, and snowman-like, have been acquired for PtBA/PS composite particles. The polar groups on the PtBA seed surface greatly influence the formation and further merging of PS/St bulges during the polymerization. A possible formation mechanism is proposed on the basis of experimental results. These complex composite particles are promising for applications in superhydrophobic coatings.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology , Tianjin 300130, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology , Tianjin 300130, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Mingwang
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology , Tianjin 300130, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shaofeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7202, United States.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology , Tianjin 300130, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology , Tianjin 300130, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu