Fabrication and characterization of Ge-doped polymer and foam

Ge-doped polystyrenes with various molecular weights and low polydispersities were successfully synthesized by stable free radical polymerization of Ge-doped styrene at 120 ℃ in bulk using 2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyl-oxyl (TEMPO) and AIBN as mediator and initiator respectively. Ge-doped polystyrene foams were obtained by thermally-induced phase separation technique and freezing-dry technology. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance(1H-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope(SEM) were applied to characterize the structure of polymers and foams. The results showed that Germanium content in polymer was 2.6 atom% and foams presented porous interconnected structures with macropores of about 1-10 m.