Due to the unique structure and properties, spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (SPB) have a wide range of applications in such as nanoreactor, drug carrier, and RO membrane scale inhibitor. To prepare SPB by photo-emulsion polymerization, polystyrene cores with a thin photo-initiator layer on the surface are needed. In this work, it is proposed a method for the synthesis of polystyrene nanoparticles with photo-initiator layer by the controlled emulsion polymerization in a continuous flow microreactor. The stability of the reaction can be regulated by the type and concentration of the emulsifier. The effects of the emulsifier, the reaction temperature, the amount of initiator, and the flow rate on the properties of PS core were studied. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Compared with the traditional batch-type emulsion polymerization, the continuous flow microreactor has the advantage of high stability, controllable reaction conditions, and continuous process. The method can continuously prepare the SPB core, which lays a foundation for preparing the SPB.

Synthesis of polystyrene nanoparticles with photo-initiator layer by controlled emulsion polymerization in continuous flow microreactor

ACS Fall 2021

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