Hybrid polymeric latexes containing magnetite

The work describes a study for preparing polystyrene (PSt) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) latex, containing magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ), covalently bounded to the polymeric chains. The magnetite was functionalized with various alkoxysilanes containing double bonds: vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), methacryloyl propyl trimethoxysilane (MPTS) and vinyldimethylethoxysilane (VMe 2 TES). The ferrite-silane composite forms higher average size particles with MPTS than with VTES. Ferrite functionalized with VMe 2 TES forms stable latexes with both PSt and PMMA polymers. PSt forms also stable latexes with ferrite functionalized with VTES but unstable with ferrite functionalized with MPTS.