Investigation for surface morphology and mechanical property variations of single polymer particles

Monodisperse polymer particles were prepared via one-step seeded polymerization using polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), or styrene/methyl methacrylate copolymer [poly(ST-co-MMA)] as seed particles and 1,6-hexanedioldiacrylate or divinylbenzene as crosslinking monomer. For the study, the effects of the combination of seed polymer and crosslinking monomer, the ratio of the absorbed monomer to the seed polymer particles (swelling ratio: S/R), and the seeded polymerization rate on the variation of surface morphology and mechanical properties of polymer particles, such as recovery rate, K-values, breaking strength, and breaking displacement were investigated by using microcompression test. It was observed that the surface morphology could be controlled by changing polymerization rate or combination of seed polymer and crosslinking monomer, and it had a great influence on mechanical properties, especially the breaking strength. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2350–2360, 2007