Barium sulfate-polyacrylamide (BaSO4-PAM) composite microspheres with surface structures were prepared by employing a special approach, which was a combinauion of a polymeric microgel template method and a reverse micelle technique. The Morphology and crystalline of the composite particles were characterized by SEM and XRD. The results demonstrate that the amount of BaSO4 and the rate of the precipitation reaction are main factors affecting the morphology of composite microspheres. Furthermore, the crystalline structure of BaSO4 in the composite is of Orthorhombic structure. In addition, the composite microspheres may combine the advantages of the suppleness of polymer materials and the rigidity of inorganic materials.

composite materials; microgels; reverse micelles; barium sulfate