Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.26, No.2, 87-92, 2005
Directly fabricating monolayer nanoparticles on a polymer surface by UV-Induced MMA/DVB microemulsion graft polymerization
A sequential two-step method was successfully used for the photografting of methyl methacrylate/1,2divinylbenzene (MMA/DVB) microemulsion onto the surface of a poly(propylene) (PP) film. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that nanoparticles with a cross-section diameter of 60 nm were directly grafted onto the substrate's surface. Environment scanning electron microscope (ESEM) images proved that the particles formed just a single layer on the surface. The dormant groups on the nanoparticles' surface were a potential factor in the evolution of single layer into multilayer nanoparticles.
Keywords:atomic force microscopy (AFM);microemulsion polymerization;monolayer nanoparticles;morphology;surface photografting