Preparation and characterization of polytetrafluoroethylene-polyacrylate core-shell nanoparticles

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-polyacrylate core-shell nanoparticles were produced by using PTFE micropowder and acrylate via seeded emulsion polymerization in the presence of fluorosurfactant. The properties of emulsion under various polymerization conditions were investigated and optimized. The chemical composition of the PTFE-polyacrylate nanoparticles was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). The particle size and core-shell structure of the resulting PTFE-polyacrylate nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Wettability of the PTFE-polyacrylate core-shell particles was higher than the pristine PTFE. The formation of this kind of PTFE-polyacrylate core-shell nanoparticles could improve the compatibility of PTFE with other materials because PTFE is covered by polyacrylate shell, which make them promising in various fields. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.