Direct One-Pot Synthesis of Chemically Anisotropic Particles with Tunable Morphology, Dimensions, and Surface Roughness

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Abstract

Previously, synthesis of anisotropic particles by seeded polymerizations has involved multiple process steps. In conventional one-pot dispersion polymerization (Dis.P) with a cross-linker added, only spherical particles are produced due to rapid and high cross-linking. In this Article, a straightforward one-pot preparation of monodisperse anisotropic particles with tunable morphology, dimensions, surface roughness, and asymmetrically distributed functional groups is described. With a cross-linker of divinylbenzene (DVB, 8%), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA, 6%), or dimethacryloyloxybenzophenone (DMABP, 5%) added at 40 min, shortly after the end of nucleation stage in Dis.P of styrene (St) in methanol and water (6/4, vol), the swollen growing particles are inhomogeneously cross-linked at first. Then, at low gel contents of 59%, 49%, and 69%, corresponding to the cases using DVB, EGDMA, and DMABP, respectively, the growing particle phase separates and snowman- or dumbbell-like particles are generated. Thermodynamic and kinetic analyses reveal that moderate cross-linking and sufficient swelling of growing particles determine the formation and growth of anisotropic particles during polymerization. Morphology, surface roughness, sizes, and cross-linking degrees of each domain of final particles are tuned continuously by varying start addition time and contents of cross-linkers. The snowman-like particles fabricated with DVB have a gradient cross-linking and asymmetrical distribution of pendant vinyl groups from their body to head. The dumbbell-like particles prepared using DMABP have only one domain cross-linked; i.e., only one domain contains photosensitive benzophenone (BP) groups. With addition of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) or propargyl methacrylate (PMA) together with DVB or EGDMA, epoxy or alkynyl groups are asymmetrically incorporated. With the aid of these functional groups, carboxyl, amino, or thiol groups and PEG (200) are attached by thiol-ene (yne) click and photocoupling reactions.

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