Synthetic Strategies for Polymer Particles with Surface Concavities

Over the past decade or so, there has been increasing interest in the synthesis of polymer particles with surface concavities, which mainly include golf ball-like, dimpled and surface-wrinkled polymer particles. Such syntheses generally can be classified into direct polymerization and post-treatment on preformed polymer particles. This review aims to provide an overview of the synthetic strategies of such particles. Some selected examples are given to present the formation mechanisms of the surface concavities. The applications and future development of these concave polymer particles are also briefly discussed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

One-step synthesis of golf ball-like thiol-functionalized silica particles

There is increasing interest in the synthesis of golf ball-like particles. Most of the reports on golf ball-like particles have focused on polymer particles, while relatively few are concerned with inorganic particles. In this work, golf ball-like thiol-functionalized silica particles were synthesized for the first time by a one-step sol-gel reaction using 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the precursors. The particle growth with time was monitored by SEM and a particle formation mechanism was proposed. The effects of different reaction parameters including the TEOS/MPTMS molar ratio, the NH4OH concentration, and the stirring rate on the morphology and size of the golf ball-like organosilica particles were studied. Given that the thiol groups have versatile functionalities, golf ball-like thiol-functionalized silica particle is a useful model for academic studies.

Synthetic route-dependent intramolecular segregation in heteroarm core cross-linked star polymers as Janus-like nanoobjects

Polymerization-induced intramolecular segregation can be realized during the “in–out” synthesis of heteroarm core cross-linked star polymers to facilitate well-defined microphase separation.