Fabrication of Polystyrene/Detonation Nanographite Composite Microspheres with the Core/Shell Structure via Pickering Emulsion Polymerization

Abstract

Polystyrene microspheres coated with detonation nanographite particles have been prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization using azobisisobutylonitrile (AIBN) as initiator in aqueous solutions. In the present techniques, the pristine detonation nano-graphite particles were employed as stabilizer of Pickering emulsion and then were armored on the as-prepared polystyrene cores by the thermal polymerization. The composite microspheres of polystyrene/detonation nano-graphite (PS/DNG) were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and Fourier transformation infrared spectrum (FT-IR). FE-SEM indicates that the resulting samples retain spherical shape, with the uniform size ranging from 100 to 150 μm and good dispersity. FT-IR presents the possible formation mechanisms of PS/DNG composites. The functional groups on the surface of polystyrene and modified detonation nano-graphite particles have played an important role for the formation of PS/DNG composites. Moreover, the wettability of different nano-graphite was also tested.