A Novel Approach for Preparation of Micrometer-sized, Monodisperse Dimple and Hemispherical Polystyrene Particles†Part CCCXXX of the series “Studies on Suspension and Emulsion”

Micrometer-sized, monodisperse dimple and hemispherical polystyrene (PS) particles were successfully prepared by heating (55-70 degrees C) of spherical PS particles dispersed in methanol/water media (40/60 to 80/20, w/w) in the presence of decane droplets, and subsequent cooling down to room temperature. Decane was absorbed by the PS particles during the heating process. Decane-absorbed PS particles phase-separated into PS and decane phases in the inside during the cooling process, and eventually dimple and/or hemispherical particles were formed by removal of the decane phase from phase-separated PS/decane particles by evaporation. The size of the dimple, which is determined by the volume of decane phase-separated from decane-absorbed PS particles during the cooling process, increased with increases in the heating temperature and the methanol content.