Mechanism of particle formation, morphology and mechanical properties of hybrid and pure PMMA latexes prepared via Pickering and surfactant-free emulsion polymerization

In this study, mechanisms of formation and stabilization of particles synthesized via spontaneous precipitation-emulsification Pickering emulsion polymerization and surfactant-free emulsion polymerization are compared and the effect of initiator amount on the average particle size is discussed. Moreover, the products of both methods and specially hybrid particles are investigated based on morphology and situation of organic and inorganic phases via SEM, TEM and local EDS analysis. Also, novel powder DMA method was utilized to study the dynamic mechanical behaviour of neat polymer particles and hybrid structures and to describe the role of inorganic Pickering stabilizer on such properties.