Controllable fabrication of monodisperse Fe-doped polystyrene spheres using microfluidic technology

Doped polymer spheres are essential for preparing targets for the inertial confined fusion (ICF) experiments since they can provide important information about the implosion. To prepare Fe-doped polystyrene (PS) spheres, ferrocene-doped PS spheres were successfully prepared by a straightforward method combining physical doping and microfluidic technology. The effect of ferrocene on the quality of the PS spheres was investigated and the relevant mechanism was discussed. Due to the compatibility of PS, ferrocene and fluorobenzene, the Fe-doped polystyrene spheres exhibited good monodispersity, sphericity and surface finish when the ferrocene content in the oil phase solution was lower than 3 %. These properties can meet stringent design requirements for ICF. This study provides valuable insights for the preparation of doped polymer spheres for ICF experiments. [Display omitted] •The interaction between ferrocene and PS is proposed.•The relationship between ferrocene content and the quality of PS spheres is studied.•Fe-doped PS spheres with good quality have been successfully fabricated.