High-yield preparation of polystyrene/silica clusters of controlled morphology

Large amounts of regular tetrapods and hexapods made of a central silica core and four or six polystyrene satellite nodules were prepared with yields over 80% from 55 nm and 85 nm silica seeds, respectively. The robustness of the process is supported by extensive statistical analyses and large-field transmission electron microscopy images.Towards Colloidal Molecules and Functional Material