Crosslinkable Composite Spheres and Capsules Synthesized by Heterocoagulation

Summary: Crosslinkable composite microspheres were prepared by heterocoagulation of epoxy resin nanoparticles onto polystyrene microspheres. The corresponding hollow microspheres were created after removal of the core. The surface morphology was tunable from smooth to rough by controlling the degree of crosslinking of the shell nanoparticles. A positively charged polyelectrolyte could be easily adsorbed onto the composite microspheres to facilitate further synthesis, e.g., layer‐by‐layer deposition and a sol‐gel process to form inorganic materials.

An SEM image of the PS/EP/silica (where the EP was crosslinked slowly) microspheres after the cores have been removed.     

Waterborne Dispersions of a Polymer‐Encapsulated Inorganic Particle Nanocomposite by Phase‐Inversion Emulsification

Inorganic silica nanoparticles were encapsulated with an epoxy resin to give waterborne nanocomposite dispersions, using the phase‐inversion emulsification technique. Sub‐micron‐sized waterborne particles with narrow size distribution were prepared such. Microscopy results indicate that all the silica nanoparticles are encapsulated within the composites and uniformly dispersed therein. Curing of the nanocomposite dispersions proceeded in a controlled manner.