As mentioned in the Introduction, we use a post-modified poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (pPFPAc) backbone as the core element of our functionalisation strategy. The choice of a pFPAC backbone is specifically motivated by the presence of reactive ester linkages, which can be exchanged with amine-containing functional groups by nucleophilic substitution. Our approach thus hinges on this ability to post-modify the "Swiss army knife" PPFPAC backbone with various chemical functional groups to firmly bind nanoparticles onto the microparticle supports in a one-pot bulk mixing step. As we show later, the chemical groups can be targeted towards specific metal surface chemistries of interest, providing a platform to obtain hybrid materials composed of different nanoparticles according to the desired application. In each version of the polymer, an electrostatic component is introduced via the presence of primary amine groups, which remain positively charged over a wide range of pH. Not only does this improve the polymer's solubility in water, but it also assists the proper conformation and attachment of the polymer to negatively charged substrates. In this manner, the polymer is well-attached to the SiO 2 particles. However, the firm attachment of nanoparticles necessitates additional strongly-binding functional groups to ensure that they are not easily removed from the SiO 2 support. The ability of catechol groups to form strong bonds with metal-oxide surfaces is well characterised, and we have demonstrated the ability of nitrocatechol chelation chemistry to bind various phases of TiO 2 , as well as Fe 2 O 3 and SrTiO 3 , onto SiO 2 microparticles.