Preparation and properties of magnetic polystyrene microspheres

Magnetic polystyrene nanospheres were efficiently prepared by using a new indirect process based on miniemulsion polymerization of styrene. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrating‐sample magnetometry (VSM), respectively. The experimental results clearly show that the 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxy silane was anchored onto the surface of the magnetic particles to form the vinyl end. The size of the magnetic particle is about 6–30 nm. The size of the magnetic particle capped with polystyrene is about 1–2 μm. The magnetic polystyrene spheres exhibit multidomain character, whereas the pure magnetic particles show single domain character. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3660–3666, 2007