In situ synthesis of polystyrene/nano-CdSe core/shell microspheres in aqueous solution at room temperature

Polystyrene/nano-CdSe (PS/CdSe) core/shell microspheres were synthesized via in situ soap-free emulsion polymerization using various functional monomers such as 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 1-vinylimidazole, 2-vinylpridine, and 4-vinylpridine. They were co-polymerized with styrene monomer and provided the location for coordinating with Cd²⁺ ions on the PS particle surfaces. Then, we used an alkaline selenium solution as a selenium source. Reaction of the alkaline selenium solution with the previous emulsion produced nanocrystalline CdSe onto the surface of PS particles at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. The different kinds of functional monomers and the amount of both Cd²⁺ ion and functional monomer were playing important roles to obtain stable and uniform morphologies of CdSe particles. Morphological observations were carried out by both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Through the SEM and TEM microphotographs, we could confirm the formation of PS/nano-CdSe composite particles. Ultraviolet-visible absorption measurement indicated the quantum dot effect in the resulted PS/nano-CdSe core/shell microspheres.