Monodisperse Crosslinked Microsphere Polymer Particles by Dispersion Copolymerization of Glycidyl Methacrylate and Divinylbenzene

Monodisperse polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA) microsphere particles crosslinked with divinylbenzene crosslinker were prepared by single-stage dispersion copolymerization in ethanol medium. 1 wt% of DVB was successfully incorporated due to the costabilizing effect of GMA as a surface-active monomer. This behavior may indicate that the fast formation of stable primary particle leads to monodispersity. The average particle sizes and the particle size distributions increased with the DVB crosslinker concentration. The effects of two different variables (initiator concentration, crosslinker concentration) on the rate of dispersion copolymerization have been investigated. With the initiator concentration, the polymerization procedure mainly depended on the dual natures of general dispersion polymerization, in the crosslinked state. Up to 1 wt% DVB, the particle growth was controlled by the monomer diffusion from the continuous phase into the particle phase.