Preparation of functionalizable poly(propylene–styrene)/polyacrylonitrile millimeter‐scale particles with core‐shell morphology

Abstract

Core‐Shell (CS) polymeric particles have attracted great interest due to their high mechanical, thermal, and chemical stability and their surface properties. In this study, functionalizable CS poly(propylene/styrene)/poly(acrylonitrile) (PP/PS/PAN) particles were prepared through heterogeneous polymerizations in a batch reactor. Commercial PP particles and PP/PS particles (prepared by seeded suspension polymerization of styrene (Sty) on PP spheres) were applied as core components of the final structure, while the shell was prepared through acrylonitrile dispersion polymerization. The degree of swelling of the core particles by Sty played an important role for the adhesion of the PAN shell, which for PP particles was 24 wt%, whereas for PP/PS hybrid particles it was 57 wt%. The particles (PP/PS and CS) were characterized through image analysis, revealing a uniform and smooth surface for PP/PS spheres and a uniform porous shell for CS particles. Particle size distributions, thermal degradation, chemical structures, degrees of crystallinity, and textural properties were also evaluated. The PAN shell adhered to the PP/PS particles without forming a copolymer, and the CS particles formed by a PP/PS core and PAN shell had sizes of 4.54 ± 1.24 mm, specific area of 2.70 m2g−1 and PAN content of 15.98 ± 0.82% (m/m) of total particles.