Functional Crosslinked Polymer Microspheres

Abstract

<p>Novel procedures for the preparation of highly crosslinked polymer microspheres by single step process have been developed. Poly(divinylbenzene) microspheres with narrow size dispersity have been prepared using dispersion polymerization techniques. Moreover, monodisperse Poly(divinylbenzene) microspheres have been produced by precipitation polymerization with acetonitrile as solvent. The process does not require stabilizers of any type, and produces monodisperse microspheres with diameters between 2 and 8.5 micron depending on the conditions. The stability of microspheres during polymerization is attributed to their rigid, crosslinked surfaces. The mechanisms of particle formation and growth are discussed. This new process has been used to prepare a series of mono-disperse functional and crosslinked microspheres.</p> <p>In addition, polymer resins containing chiral crown-ether binding sites have been prepared by template (or imprinting) polymerization using chiral ammonium salts. The ability of these resins to separate enantiomers of the original template molecules have been evaluated.</p>