In their paper, Lacroix-Desmazes and co-workers reported the synthesis of a CeO2/poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVDC) hybrid latex carried out via the functionalization of CeO2 nanoparticles by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization from a phosphonated macro-RAFT agent, with very efficient formation of hybrid structures (neither free ceria nanoparticles nor free latex particles). This hybrid latex, obtained by emulsion polymerization with a reasonably high solid content (25%), represents a good candidate for the elaboration of high performance coatings. Furthermore, the authors also considered the use of such hybrid latexes as templates for the preparation of functional organic or inorganic porous materials with CeO2 nanoparticles (or other nanoparticles) evenly distributed in the porous matrix.
A CeO2/PVDC hybrid latex mediated by a phosphonated macro-RAFT agent by Jérôme Warnant, Jérôme Garnier, Alex van Herk, Pierre-Emmanuel Dufils, Jérôme Vinas and Patrick Lacroix-Desmazes Polym. Chem. 2013, 4, 5656-5663.
Julien Nicolas is a web-writer and advisory board member for Polymer Chemistry. He currently works at Univ. Paris-Sud (FR) as a CNRS researcher.
