Structural estimation of particle arrays at air–water interface based on silica particles with well‐defined and highly grafted poly(methyl methacrylate)

Silica nanoparticles with well-defined, highly grafted dense poly(methyl methacrylate) (MMA) were prepared by surface-initiated activators regenerated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) of methyl methacrylate with an initiator-fixed silica particle in the presence of air. Two different polymerizations of MMA were carried out under the same conditions using tris[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]amine (Me6TREN) and N,N,N′,N′,N″-pentamethyldiethylene-triamine (PMDETA) as the ligand, respectively. In the CuCl2/PMDETA system, polymerization appeared to be more controlled with a lower polydisperisty compared with the CuCl2/Me6TREN system. The monolayer of these particles was formed at the air–water interface using Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. Multilayers of the particles were fabricated by repetition of LB depositing. A surface pressure–area (π–A) measurement and SEM observation were used to characterize the particle arrays. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers