Revealing the Formation Dynamics of Janus Polymer Particles: Insights from Experiments and Molecular Dynamics

Seeded emulsion polymerization is one of the best-known methods for preparing polymer particles with a controlled size, composition, and shape. It first requires the preparation of seed particles, which are then swollen with additional monomer (the same as the one used for the seed or a different one), to either increase the seed's size or change its morphology. The use of surfactants plays a central role in guaranteeing the required colloidal stability and contributing to the final shape and structure of the particles by lowering the interfacial energy between the polymer of the seed and the added monomer. We here study the polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of polystyrene seed particles at various surfactant concentrations in the presence and absence of a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate). We first show experimentally that the morphology of the colloidal particles can be tuned from Janus to core-shell, depending on the presence or absence of surfactant on the seeds particles' surface. Furthermore, using classical molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the mechanism and behavior of the surfactants during the first stages of the polymerization process. We use a newly developed approach based on contact statistical analysis to confirm the critical role played by the organization of surfactant molecules on the surface of the seed particles in dictating the final particle morphology.