A simple route for fabricating poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) particles by using ionic liquids and a solvent evaporation process

Particles of a poly(para-phenylenevinylene) (PPV) precursor were prepared from an aqueous solution of the polymer by simple evaporation of water from the solution, which also contained an ionic liquid as a poor solvent (self-organized precipitation (SORP) method); PPV precursor nanoparticles were successfully converted to PPV nanoparticles after annealing at 240 degrees C under reduced pressure, this simple process constituting a novel route to nanoparticles of functional polymeric materials.