Preparation and Compaction Behaviour of Poly(methyl methacrylate) Coated Iron Microparticles

The poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) coatings onto surface of iron particles were electrochemically prepared and the effect on both surface structure and internal structure of the resulted material after compaction was carried out. The electrochemical polymerization treatment was performed in a fluidized bed electrolyzer using sulphuric acid solution containing potassium persulphate and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The surface topography and the microstructure of the samples were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM). It was found that the PMMA layer coated onto iron particles results in improvement of their compressibility compared with uncoated powders, and classical lubricants are not necessary for compacting particles coated.