ABSTRACT:The cationic postgraft polymerization of several monomers initiated by pendant acylium perchlorate groups of polymer chains previously grafted onto a surface of ultrafine silica was investigated. The introduction of pendant acylium perchlorate groups to the grafted polymer chains on the silica surface was achieved by the reactions of silver perchlorate with pendant acyl chloride groups prepared by the radical graft copolymerization of styrene with acryloyl chloride using the ultrafine silica having azo groups onto the surface as an initiator. The pendant acylium perchlorate groups of the grafted copolymer chains on the silica surface were able to initiate the cationic postgraft polymerization of styrene, and polystyrene was effectively postgrafted from these grafted copolymer chains with a higher percentage of grafting to give branched polymer-grafted silica. The percentage of postgrafting of polystyrene and that of total polymer grafted onto silica, i.e., overall grafting, reached about 80 and 120%, respectively. The cationic ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactone was also initiated by pendant acylium perchlorate groups of the grafted copolymer chains to give polyester-postgrafted silica. Postgrafting of polystyrene was remarkably affected by the composition of the copolymer previously grafted. The percentage of postgrafting increased with the solubility of these copolymer chains in the polymerization system. The polystyrene-postgrafted silica gave a stable colloidal dispersion in a good solvent for the grafted polymer.