abstract
The use of a macromolecular RAFT (macro-RAFT) agent to encapsulate anisotropic nano-objects via emulsion polymerization is an emerging route to prepare polymer/inorganic colloidal nanocomposites. However, a number of requirements have to be fulfilled. This work aims at highlighting the effects of the preparative procedure and dispersion method on the amount of macro-RAFT agent adsorbed onto SiO2-coated Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods. The adsorption of macro-RAFT agent was studied using the depletion method with UV-vis spectrophotometry. Measurements were performed at a fixed concentration of nanorods and varying concentrations of the macro-RAFT agent in aqueous dispersion at room temperature. The adsorption isotherms showed that for the same initial macro-RAFT agent concentration, the highest adsorption capacity of the macro-RAFT agent on nanorods was usually achieved for non-calcined thin SiO2-coated nanorods under mild bath sonication. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
MEDIATED EMULSION POLYMERIZATION; CARBON NANOTUBES; LUMINESCENCE PROPERTIES; EFFICIENT PREPARATION; LATEX-PARTICLES; SILICA; NANOCOMPOSITES; NANOPARTICLES; ENCAPSULATION; GD2O3/EU3+
subject category
Chemistry; Materials Science; Physics
authors
Zou, H; Melro, L; Chaparro, TD; de Souza, IR; Ananias, D; Bourgeat-Lami, E; dos Santos, AM; Barros-Timmons, A
our authors
Ana Margarida Madeira Viegas de Barros Timmons
Associate Professor
Duarte Ananias
Assistant Researcher
Liliana Sofia da Silva Ferreira Pinto de Melro
Research Fellowshipacknowledgements
Dr Marta Ascensao Carmona Ferro and Dr Maria A. F. Faustino are thanked for TEM microscopy imaging and the access to the FluoroMax-3 Horiba Jobin Yvon spectrometer. This work was developed in the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (Ref. FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013), financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC. Hua Zou and Liliana Melro thank the project Encircle (IUPAC/0001/2009). Hua Zou also thanks the support of Shanghai Pujiang Program (15PJ1406400), Program of Young Eastern Scholar from Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning (QD2015014) and University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. Mr. Scott Olufson from BASF Australia is thanked for the critical reading of the manuscript.