Preparation of Ni-g-polymer core–shell nanoparticles by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization

Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (si-ATRP) technique was successfully employed to modify Ni nanoparticles with polymer shells. ATRP initiators were covalently bonded onto Ni nanoparticle surfaces by a combination of ligand exchange and condensation reactions. Various kinds of polymers including poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(n-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) were grafted from the immobilized initiators. The grated …