Facile preparation of metal nanoparticle‐coated polystyrene beads by catechol conjugated polymer

A universal method to modify polystyrene beads (PSBs) is proposed, using the 2‐chloro‐3′,4′‐dihydroxyacetophenone (CCDP) quaternized to poly(ethylene glycol)‐g‐poly(dimethylaminethyl methacrylate) PEG‐g‐PDMA, QC‐PEG]. In the study, CCDP of QC‐PEG is adhered onto PSBs under alkali condition, where polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) has been added as stabilizer. The surface modified PSBs with QC‐PEG (QC‐PSBs) have been functionalized, by depositing silver nanoparticles (Ag‐PSBs) as antimicrobial, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe‐PSBs) as magnet, and TiO₂ nanoparticles (Ti‐PSBs) as photo‐catalyst. Modification and functionalization of the obtained PSBs have been rectified by microscopy and spectroscopy investigations, including scanning electron microscope, X‐ray photoelectron microscope, and UV–vis spectrometer. The functionalized Ag‐PSBs show outstanding antimicrobial activities against gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria, due to their containing silver nanoparticles; while significant photo‐catalytic behavior was found against methylene blue, after depositing TiO₂ nanoparticles. The proposed universal modified PSBs will make a strong contribution in different fields, as a functional material. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.