Preparation and Structural Analysis of Nano-Silver Loaded Poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) Core-Shell Nanospheres with Defined Shape and Composition

A systematic study for the preparation and structural analysis of poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) composite nanospheres (PSA) and silver nanoparticles loaded poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) composite nanospheres (nAg@PSA) is reported. Poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) nanospheres were synthesized by soap-free emulsion polymerization of styrene (St) and acrylic acid (AA) in water. Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) were well-dispersed on the surfaces of poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) composite nanospheres by in situ chemical reduction of AgNO₃ using NaBH₄ as a reducing agent in water. The particle size of PSA nanospheres was uniform. The surfaces of PSA nanospheres were distributed by highly uniform half-sphere arrays. Those half-sphere protruded more with the increase of the feeding amount of AA or the feed ratios of AA and St. The carboxyl groups content of nanospheres was directly proportional to the nanosphere surface area. This relationship and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy images of the PSA nanospheres indicate that the acrylic acid was mainly distributed on the surface of the polystyrene spheres with unnegligible thickness. The number of Ag-NPs depends on immobilized carboxyl groups on the surface of PSA, according to thermogravimetry, ultraviolet-visible, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy results.