Applications of a polymeric microgel template/ultrasonic degradation method: Preparation of poly(sodium acrylate)/La(OH)3 nano-composites

A polymeric microgel template/ultrasonic degradation method for the preparation of organic-inorganic nano-composites is proposed and successfully used in the preparation of poly(sodium acrylate) (PAANa) and lanthanium hydroxide nano-composites (PAANa/La(OH)3). The nano-composites were prepared via three steps. La(NO3)3 was trapped within the PAANa microgels first, and then the metal ions within the microgels were hydrolyzed by slow introduction of ammonia. Finally, the composites of the micro-particles were degraded by ultrasonic treatment. The product was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The average diameter of the composites prepared in this way is about 50 nm and the size distribution of them is narrow. TGA analysis shows that the content of La(OH)3 in the composites is about 20%.