Uniformly sized and self-assembled maleic anhydride/vinyl acetate/acrylamide terpolymer core–shell nanoparticles fabricated by self-stabilized precipitation polymerization

Copolymer particles containing anhydride and amide groups are widely utilized in oilfields and medication releases because of their high specific surface area, excellent biocompatibility, and water solubility. Here, the self-stabilized precipitation (2SP) method was used to create maleic anhydride (MAH)/vinyl acetate (VAc)/acrylamide (AM) terpolymer (PMVA) microspheres. Terpolymer composition was highly dependent on monomer feed ratio and microspheres with diameters in the range of about 228–1048 nm could be prepared by altering reaction parameters. Notably, AM was consumed completely within a short period of time owing to high monomer reactivity, MAH and VAc continuing to copolymerize in an alternating manner. Thus self-assembled core–shell particle with poly(MAH-co-VAc-co-AM) as core and poly(MAH-alt-VAc) as shell (PMVA@PMV) was readily achieved. PMVA particles can be scaled up to application platforms of hydrogel, oil recovery, and scale inhibition. Meanwhile, this contribution broadened the preparation process of core–shell material and can be applied to interface materials by simple modification.