Preparation and Characterization of Titania-grafted Poly(styrene-divinybenzene) Nanocomposite Microspheres

Titania-grafted poly(styrene-divinylbenzene)(TiO2/PSt-DVB) nanocomposite microspheres were prepared by an open-ring reaction and radical grafting copolymerization method. The TiO2 nanoparticles were first modified by attachment of epoxy groups to their surfaces to provide reactive groups that could covalently bond to the polymer (PSt-DVB) microspheres. The nanocomposite obtained was characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, and TGA analyses as well as UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the TiO2 nanoparticles were uniformly grafted onto the surface of the polymer microsphere producing grain sizes of about 5-10 μm. The modified TiO2 showed better UV absorbing property than the unmodified form, and the nanocomposite also retained the same UV absorbing property as the free modified TiO2 nanoparticle.