Preparation and Characterization of PMMA-PAN Core Shell Composite Latex Particles

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nano latex with a Z-average hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 70 nm was synthesized by hydrophobic initiator initiated semi continuous soapless emulsion polymerization. PMMA polyacrylonitrile (PAN) core shell composite latexes were prepared via hydrophobic initiator initiated seeded emulsion polymerization using PMMA nano latex as the seeds. Dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the size, composition, structure and morphology of various latex particles. The influences of the reaction temperature, the amounts of acrylonitrile and surfactant on the structure and morphology of PMMA-PAN core shell composite latex particles were studied. Results show that PMMA-PAN composite latex particles have core shell structures, and their shell thickness can be adjusted simply by changing the amount of acrylonitrile monomer.