Recent studies on the rheological behavior of concentrated non-Brownian suspensions (NBS) have highlighted the role of interparticle frictional contacts. To investigate these solid contact forces, surface-functionalized polymer microparticles with diameter of ca. 80 μm and tunable surface properties were prepared by the combination of suspension free radical copolymerization, covalent anchoring of a variety of azide-functionalized moieties by copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition and subsequent <i>N</i>-alkylation of the 1,2,3-triazole groups. The resulting cross-linked microparticles were thoroughly characterized by light scattering, differential scanning calorimetry, as well as by optical, confocal fluorescence, scanning electron and atomic force microscopies (Figure 1). Finally, the impact of surface properties and volume fraction on the viscosity of concentrated suspensions of the different microparticles were studied by rheometry.

Combining suspension polymerization free radical copolymerization and click chemistry towards cross-linked polymer microparticles with tunable surface properties

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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