Preparation and characterization of polystyrene–poly(p-acetoxystyrene) and polystyrene–poly(p-vinylphenol) composite latex particles

Polystyrene-core poly(p-vinylphenol)-shell (PS–PVPh) latexes were prepared by the hydrolysis of polystyrene-core poly(p-acetoxystyrene)-shell (PS–PAS) latexes. Polymerization conditions required for uniform core/shell structures were identified. The latexes were made by surfactant-free aqueous emulsion polymerization which gave stable latexes and uniform particle size distributions. It was necessary to use divinylbenzene in the second stage of …