Polymer Surface Modification of Silica Sand by Dry Bead Milling

As grinding progresses, powders exhibit high surface activity due to the generation of ions and radicals, and interfacial effects become pronounced. Mechanochemical reactions that effectively utilize this surface activity have been applied to the synthesis of functionalized powders. In this study, a mechanochemical polymerization process was carried out continuously modifying the surface of silica particles by grinding silica sand in the presence of methyl methacrylate (MMA) using a dry bead mill. The effects of grinding conditions on the MMA conversion, particle size distribution, specific surface area, and chemical composition were investigated. As a result, the possibility of continuously producing surface-modified particles with polymer coatings accompanied by fine grinding was demonstrated. Furthermore, it was confirmed that optimizing the milling atmosphere and grinding conditions is crucial for improving the efficiency of polymer-modified powder production in this process.