Polystyrene/graphene oxide (PSt/GO) nanocomposite latexes have been prepared by Pickering miniemulsion polymerization in the presence of the conventional surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in order to investigate its influence on the polymerization mechanism. Miniemulsion polymerization of styrene can be conducted successfully using GO as the sole surfactant, but the polymerization rate is very low. In the presence of SDS, a significant rate enhancement is observed. It has been clarified that the presence of SDS leads to additional nucleation pathways besides monomer droplet nucleation, namely nucleation involving free GO sheets in the aqueous phase as well as homogeneous nucleation. These mechanistic pathways are consistent with the rate enhancement and the increase in molecular weight as well as experimentally observed particle distributions in the presence of SDS. The present results represent a significant step forward in terms of our understanding of the fundamental polymerization mechanism of this Pickering miniemulsion system, which will aid in the preparation of advanced nanocomposite materials based on polymers and graphene (oxide).

中文翻译：

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使用氧化石墨烯的Pickering微乳液聚合：添加常规表面活性剂的效果†

为了研究其对聚合机理的影响，已经在常规表面活性剂十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）的存在下通过Pickering微乳液聚合制备了聚苯乙烯/氧化石墨烯（PSt / GO）纳米复合胶乳。使用GO作为唯一的表面活性剂可以成功地进行苯乙烯的细乳液聚合，但是聚合速率非常低。在存在SDS的情况下，观察到速率显着提高。已经阐明，SDS的存在除了单体液滴成核之外还导致另外的成核途径，即在水相中涉及游离GO片的成核以及均相成核。这些机械途径与速率增加和分子量增加以及在SDS存在下实验观察到的颗粒分布一致。就我们对这种Pickering微乳液体系的基本聚合机理的理解而言，目前的结果代表了向前迈出的重要一步，该体系将有助于制备基于聚合物和石墨烯（氧化物）的先进纳米复合材料。