Morphological and compositional evolution of polymeric colloidal monolayer during UV irradiation

In this study, we investigated the morphological and compositional evolution polymeric colloidal monolayer during UV irradiation. A PS colloidal monolayer with interparticle bridges was prepared and exposed to the UV light. As a consequence of photochemical reactions containing chain-scission, UV irradiation induced morphological changes in the monolayer surface including changes in the size, shape, and packing structure of PS particles. By manipulating the UV irradiation time, fine tuning of size and shape of the interstice in the monolayer was achieved. In these procedures, the interparticle bridges play an important role. The UV irradiation induced the formation of polar groups in the PS particle surface and thus the particle surface became highly hydrophilic.