Cellulose nanocrystals/fluorinated polyacrylate soap-free emulsion prepared via RAFT-assisted Pickering emulsion polymerization.

Cellulose nanocrystals/fluorinated polyacrylate soap-free emulsion was successfully synthesized via RAFT-assisted Pickering emulsion process using modified cellulose nanocrystals as particle stabilizers. The cellulose nanocrystals were organically modified by linear triblock copolymer poly(2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-b-poly(2,2,3,4,4,4-Hexafluorobutyl acrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PGMA-b-PHFBA) with reactive trithiocarbonate group. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses showed that modified cellulose nanocrystals were armored on the surface of spherical particles. The morphology and particle size of the resulting products depended on the pH value of particle dispersion. When the value of pH increased from 1.06 to 2.97, the spherical-like particles size decreased from 763 nm to 253 nm. However, with pH value increasing to 6.85, the particle size increased to 394 nm. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the formation of the cellulose nanocrystals/fluorinated polyacrylate nanoparticles with core-shell structure was proposed.