Novel comb‐structured‐polymer‐grafted carbon black by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization

Novel comb‐structured‐polymer‐grafted carbon black (CB) was synthesized with a combination of surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization and ring‐opening polymerization. First, poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) was grafted onto the CB surface by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The prepared CB‐ g ‐PHEMA contained 35.6–71.8% PHEMA, with the percentage depending on the molar ratio of the reagents and the reaction temperature. Then, with PHEMA in CB‐ g ‐PHEMA as the macroinitiator, poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL) was grown from the CB‐ g ‐PHEMA surface by ring‐opening polymerization in the presence of stannous octoate. CB‐ g ‐PHEMA and CB‐ g ‐(PHEMA‐ g ‐PCL) were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, 1 H‐NMR, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. The resultant grafted CB had a shell of PHEMA‐ g ‐PCL. On the whole, the CB nanoparticles were oriented in dendritic lamellae formed by these shells. This hopefully will result in applications in gas sensor materials and nanoparticle patterns. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010