Synthesis of uniform hollow poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and liquid crystal/poly(N-vinylcarbazole) core/shell nanoparticles

Silica/poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) core/shell nanoparticles were prepared by both sol–gel process and emulsion polymerization. Stöber method was used to produce silica nanoparticles. The silica nanoparticles were grafted with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) and then covered by a PVK shell. Hollow PVK nanoparticles were obtained by selectively dissolving the silica core from the silica/PVK core/shell nanoparticles. Liquid crystal/PVK core/shell nanoparticles were produced by diffusing liquid crystals (E7) into the hollow core. The morphology of the nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Elemental analysis was carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy.