Investigation on the Controllable Synthesis of Colorized and Magnetic Polystyrene Beads With Millimeter Size via In Situ Suspension Polymerization

Abstract

A series of colorized and magnetic polystyrene/Fe3O4 (PS/Fe3O4) composite beads with millimeter size are successfully synthesized by introducing hydrophobic Fe3O4via in situ suspension polymerization of styrene for the first time. Effects of the hydrophobic Fe3O4 content, stirring speed, and surfactant dosage on the macromorphology and particle size of PS/Fe3O4 beads are systematically investigated to realize the controllable synthesis. Moreover, three kinds of hydrophobic pigments are also employed to synthesize colorized polystyrene, which demonstrates the versatility, simplicity, and wide applicability of the proposed method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and element mapping (EM) images demonstrated that the hydrophobic Fe3O4 is well dispersed in the polystyrene matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the resultant PS/Fe3O4 beads possess a better thermal stability than neat PS. PS/Fe3O4 beads have a promising application in the fields of colorized extruded PS board, colorized expanded PS foam particle, and board.

Polymer Bead Foams: A Review on Foam Preparation, Molding, and Interbead Bonding Mechanism

“…The addition of various fillers in the polymerization process has been demonstrated as an effective method for manufacturing multifunctional EPS beads. Recently, hydrophobic Fe3O4 was incorporated into EPS by means of in situ suspension polymerization of styrene (Figure 3) [5]. The researchers systematically explored the effects of different experimental variables, such as Fe3O4 content, stirring speed, and the amount of surfactant, The properties of the polymer itself play a critical role in the production of bead foams.…”

“…Each scale of the structure is associated with various research topics. From the perspective of molecular chains, the variety of bead foams has expanded from the initial PS [5,6] to polyethylene (PE) [7], polypropylene (PP) [8][9][10][11], thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) [3,[12][13][14], polylactic acid (PLA) [15], and other polymers. The selection of the regulatory strategy for foaming is based on the specific chain structure.…”