Synthesis of Monodisperse Glycerol Dimethacrylate-Based Microgel Particles by Precipitation Polymerization

Abstract

A new, single-stage precipitation polymerization was proposed for the synthesis of monodisperse cross-linked glycerol dimethacrylate (GDMA)-based microgel particles carrying hydroxyl and carboxyl functionalities, from nanometer to micrometer size range. The synthesis of monodisperse microgel spheres in the size range of 30−1500 nm was possible by the proposed method. In the polymerizations, glycerol dimethacrylate was copolymerized with methacrylic acid (MAA) in the medium containing toluene and acetonitrile without using a stabilizing agent. The effects of polymerization conditions on the final monomer conversion, polymerization kinetics, and MAA distribution in the microgel particles were investigated. The hydrodynamic size, the size distribution characteristics, and the mass charge density of microgel particles were also determined. Highly monodisperse and spherical microgel particles were obtained particularly with low GDMA feed concentrations. A marked increase in the hydrodynamic size was observed w...