Morphology Regulation of Organophosphate Crystals by Micro‐Jetting Technique

Abstract

Organophosphates nucleating agents are widely used in the plastics industry. Nucleating agents with different morphologies have various effects on the resin materials. The micro‐jetting technique is shown to be a promising tool for the controlled preparation of micro‐and nano‐sized particles. Therefore, in this paper, controllable preparation of sodium 2,2'‐methylene‐bis‐(4,6‐di‐tert‐butylphenyl) phosphate (NA11) is achieved by the micro‐jetting technique. The study focused on the impact of various parameters on its shape and size. Hexagonal, rhombic, rod‐shaped, and needle‐shaped micro‐sized NA11 crystals are prepared. The results show that the decrease in the polarity of the organic solvents added in the antisolvent water led to the transformation of NA11 from bulk hexagon to plate‐like rhombus and finally to needle‐shaped crystals. The addition of surfactants can regulate the crystal growth rates and orientations, thereby facilitating the formation of rod‐shaped crystals. Based on rod‐shaped crystals, the crystal size is studied. Crystals with average particle sizes in the range of 40–100 µm can be obtained with coefficients of variation as low as 4% by varying the relevant experimental parameters such as the supersaturation, the solution homogeneity in the crystal growth environment, and the mixing intensity. This study provides references for designing functional materials.