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Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Using Polystyrene-block-polyacrylic acid-coated Metal Nanoparticles as Monomers for Their Homo- and Co-polymerization
Published on: July 9, 2015
Synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) coated magnetic nanospheres via a multiple polymerization route
Kai Li1, Kaimin Chen1, Qiaoling Wang1
1College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Magnetic nanospheres are versatile candidates for both fundamental and practical applications. Before they are applied in more complicated fields, their surface must be modified by several functionalities. However, the surface modification can be affected by the magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) embedded in the polymer matrix. Herein, the synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) coated magnetic nanospheres via a multiple polymerization route is described. During the synthesis process, seed emulsion polymerization was applied to redistribute the MNP in the polymer matrix, and the relationship between the structure of magnetic nanospheres and the thickness of the grafted poly(acrylic acid) layer was investigated. The development of size, morphology and magnetic properties of the nanospheres were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry. This work would pave the way to design and preparation of new structure of functional magnetic nanospheres with precise surface modification.
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