Nonspherical particles resembling sea pineapples were synthesized by successive growth technique during soapless emulsion polymerization for various applications. First, highly cross-linked seed particle dispersion was synthesized by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization with acrylic acid as co-monomer for the formation of surface carboxylic groups. Then, a successive growth scheme was applied to the seeds by swelling the particles with monomer droplets, followed by polymerization. The sea pineapple-shaped particles could be produced by adjusting the amount of monomer during the swelling step of the third growth. As a demonstrative application, the seed or sea pineappleshaped particles could be used as templates for the synthesis of porous inorganic particles by spray drying technique. The resulting porous particles could be adopted as photocatalyst for the decomposition of organic molecules such as methylene blue. As another application, the dye molecules could be adsorbed onto the second grown particles to produce dye-doped nanospheres. Finally, the sea pineapple-shaped particles could be self-organized into supra-aggregates using toluene emulsions as confining geometries. Collectively, successively grown particles were found to be efficient building blocks to prepare the unusually packed structures or functionalized into colored products.

Nonspherical Particles Monomer Swelling Successive Growth Emulsion Polymerization Self-assembly

Yamak HB, Polymer Science, Intech (2013).
Sakdapipanich J, Thananusont N, Pukkate N, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 100(1), 413 (2006)
Cho YS, Yi GR, Moon JH, Kim DC, Lee BJ, Yang SM, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 341(2), 209 (2010)
Xu LA, Li H, Jiang X, Wang JX, Li L, Song YL, Jiang L, Macromol. Rapid Commun., 31(16), 1422 (2010)
Zhang YZ, Wang JX, Zhao Y, Zhai J, Jiang L, Song YL, Zhu DB, J. Mater. Chem., 18, 2650 (2008)
Cho YS, Moon JH, Yi GR, Yang SM, J. Dispersion Sci. Technol., 31, 368 (2010)
Tabata S, Isshiki Y, Watanabe M, J. Electrochem. Soc., 155(3), K42 (2008)
Lu J, Zheng F, Cheng Y, Ding H, Zhao Y, Gu Z, Nanoscale, 6, 10650 (2014)
Chen K, Tuysuz H, Angew. Chem.-Int. Edit., 54(46), 13806 (2015)
Kim JW, Larsen RJ, Weitz DA, Adv. Mater., 19(15), 2005 (2007)
Kim DH, Lee DY, Lee KS, Choe SJ, Macromol. Res., 17(4), 250 (2009)
Pan M, Yang L, Guan B, Lu M, Zhong G, Zhu L, Soft Matter, 7, 11187 (2011)
Peng B, Rao H, Hanumanth V, Vutukuri R, Blaaderen AV, Imhof A, J. Mater. Chem., 22(41), 21893 (2012)
Sheu HR, El-Aasser MS, Vanderhoff JW, Polym. Mater. Sci. Eng., 57, 911 (1987)
Cho YS, Kim YK, Chung KC, Choi CJ, J. Dispersion Sci. Technol., 32, 1408 (2011)
Cho YS, Kim SH, Moon JH, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 29(8), 1102 (2012)
Cho YS, J. Dispersion Sci. Technol., 38, 159 (2017)
Nguyen D, Ravaine S, Bourgeat-Lamic E, Duguet E, J. Mater. Chem., 20, 9392 (2010)
Pan MW, Yang LY, Wang JC, Tang SD, Zhong GJ, Su R, Sen MK, Endoh MK, Koga T, Zhu L, Macromolecules, 47(8), 2632 (2014)
Tang C, Zhang CL, Liu JG, Qu XZ, Li JL, Yang ZZ, Macromolecules, 43(11), 5114 (2010)
Cho YS, Oh IA, Jung NR, J. Dispersion Sci. Technol., 37, 676 (2016)
Rogers PH, Michel E, Bauer CA, Vanderet S, Hansen D, Roberts BK, Calvez A, Crews JB, Lau KO, Wood A, Pine DJ, Schwartz PV, Langmuir, 21(12), 5562 (2005)
Mock EB, De Bruyn H, Hawkett BS, Gilbert RG, Zukoski CF, Langmuir, 22(9), 4037 (2006)
Emmons ED, Kraus RG, Duvvuri SS, Thompson JS, Covington AM, J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Phys., 45(3), 358 (2007)
Donev A, Cisse I, Sachs D, Variano EA, Stillinger FH, Connelly R, Torquato S, Chaikin PM, Science, 303, 990 (2004)
Crosera M, Bovenzi M, Maina G, Adami G, Zanette C, Florio C, Filon LF, Int. Arch. Environ., 82(9), 1043 (2009)