Abstract: A method of preparing poly(acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid)-tungsten-silver (P(AM-co-MAA)-W-Ag) composite microspheres with core-shell structures by a copolymer microgel template was described. P(AM-co-MAA)-W composite microspheres were fabricated by centrifugal deposition of tungsten powder on the surface of the polymer template. After absorbing a layer of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) on the template of P(AM-co-MAA)-W microspheres and fully immersing them in the AgNO3 aqueous solution, P(AM-co-MAA)-W-Ag composite microspheres were prepared slowly by introducing ammonia gas in the reverse suspension system. It was demonstrated that varying the concentrations of PVP and AgNO3 could modulate the deposition amount of silver on the surface of microspheres. Furthermore, the elementary mechanism of the formation of silver was proposed. The PVP acts both as a stabilizing agent and a reducing agent for the deposition of metal Ag particles.

Key words: Composites, Microgels, Template methods, Tungsten powder, Nano-silver