In Situ Coatings of Polymeric Films with Core Polystyrene, Core-Shell Polystyrene/SiO 2 , and Hollow SiO 2 Micro/Nanoparticles and Potential Applications.

In many industrial settings, films of polymers such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) require surface treatment due to poor wettability and low surface energy. Here, a simple process is presented to prepare durable thin coatings composed of polystyrene (PS) core, PS/SiO 2 core-shell, and hollow SiO 2 micro/nanoparticles onto PP and PET films as a platform for various potential applications. Corona-treated films were coated with a monolayer of PS microparticles by in situ dispersion polymerization of styrene in ethanol/2-methoxy ethanol with polyvinylpyrrolidone as stabilizer. A similar process on untreated polymeric films did not yield a coating. PS/SiO 2 core-shell coated microparticles were produced by in situ polymerization of Si(OEt) 4 in ethanol/water onto a PS-coated film, creating a raspberry-like morphology with a hierarchical structure. Hollow porous SiO 2 -coated microparticles onto a PP/PET film were formed by in situ dissolution of the PS core of the coated PS/SiO 2 particles with acetone. The coated films were characterized by E-SEM, FTIR/ATR, and AFM. These coatings may be used as a platform for various applications, e.g. magnetic coatings onto the core PS, superhydrophobic coatings onto the core-shell PS/SiO 2 , and solidification of oil liquids within the hollow porous SiO 2 coating.