Polymer Microspheres Research Articles

"Dramatic Growth" of Microbial Aerosols for Visualization and Accurate Counting of Bioaerosols.

While the global COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, microbial aerosol detection has become of high concern. Timely, accurate, and highly sensitive monitoring of microbial aerosols in indoor air is the basis for effective prevention and control of infectious diseases. At present, no commercial equipment or reliable technology can simultaneously control the detection time and limit at 6 h and 102 CFU/mL, respectively. Based on the "safety size range" of particulate matter in the air, we propose a new method of microbial dilation detection, which enables the pathogen to grow rapidly and dramatically into a polymeric microsphere, larger in size than the coexisting aerosol particles. "Like a crane standing among chickens", the microorganism can be easily visualized and counted. Different from routine chemical and biological sensing technologies, this method can achieve absolute counting of microbial particles, and the simple principles can be developed into devices for different life scenarios.

Rapid fabrication of ordered 2D binary colloidal crystals at the air-water interface by engineering the surface properties of water and polymer microspheres

Rapid fabrication of ordered 2D binary colloidal crystals at the air-water interface by engineering the surface properties of water and polymer microspheres

Intranasal nanoparticulate delivery systems for neurodegenerative disorders: a review.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a significant cause of mortality worldwide, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a significant challenge for drug delivery. An intranasal route is a prominent approach among the various methods to bypass the BBB. There aredifferent pathways involved in intranasal drug delivery. The drawbacks of this method include mucociliary clearance, enzymatic degradationand poor drug permeation. Novel nanoformulations and intranasal drug-delivery devices offer promising solutions to overcome these challenges. Nanoformulations include polymeric nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoparticles, microspheres, liposomes and noisomes. Additionally, intranasal devices could be utilized to enhance drug-delivery efficacy. Therefore, intranasal drug-delivery systems showpotential for treating neurodegenerative diseases through trigeminal or olfactory pathways, which can significantly improve patient outcomes.

Predicting the Magnitude of Microsphere Parameters Obtained from Microscopical Examination of Hardened Concrete

Abstract Geometric probability concepts are used to establish a quantitative basis for predicting the magnitude of microscopically determined parameters of polymeric microsphere systems in hardened concretes relative to the actual magnitude of the parameters. Both a hypothetical discrete size distribution and a representative continuous size distribution of the microspheres are considered in the analysis. It is predicted that for a random section through the concrete, the magnitudes of the measured microsphere volume fraction and specific surface relative to the respective actual values would depend on the proportion of the total number of microspheres counted on the section. The lower the proportion of microspheres counted, the lower the ratios of measured-to-actual volume fraction and measured-to-actual specific surface would be. For the test data presented, the proportion of microspheres counted was calculated to have an average value of 0.75. Ratios of predicted-to-actual volume fraction and predicted-to-actual specific surface are compared with the respective measured ratios and found to be quite accurate. When there is a significant spread in the microsphere size distribution and relatively few microspheres are missed during a microscopical examination of a single section of concrete, the measured volume fraction would be higher and the measured specific surface would be lower, relative to the respective actual values. This is because a random section through the concrete has a greater chance of intersecting large microspheres than small ones, with large microspheres having a relatively higher contribution to volume and a relatively lower contribution to specific surface than small microspheres. These findings are relevant for air-entrained concrete as well when measurements obtained by microscopical examination of hardened concrete are compared with air content measured by the pressure method or with air content and specific surface measured by an air void analyzer.

Magnetic‐optical dual functional Janus particles for the detection of metal ions assisted by machine learning

AbstractFunctional polymer microspheres have broad application prospects in various fields, such as metal ion detection, adsorption, separation, and controlled drug release. However, integrating different functions in a single microsphere system is a significant challenge in this field. In this work, we prepared multicompartmental emulsion droplets utilizing microfluidic technology. Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were added to one of the compartments of the emulsion droplets as functional particles, and Janus microspheres were obtained after curing. Fluorescent probes enter the two compartments of the Janus microspheres by diffusion. The fluorescence changes of the microspheres were observed in situ and captured through a fluorescence microscope. The images are processed by image recognition software and a Python program. The “fingerprint” of the detected metal ions is obtained by dimensionality reduction of the data through Principal Component Analysis. We employ different algorithms to build Machine Learning models for predicting the metal ion species and concentration. The variation of fluorescence intensity of the three fluorescent probes and the corresponding R, G, and B channel values and time are used as descriptors. The results show that the Random Forest, K‐neighborhood (KNN), and Neural Network models demonstrated a better predicted effect with a variance (R2) greater than 0.9 and a smaller root mean square error; among them, the KNN model predicted the most accurate results.

μDACS platform: A hybrid microfluidic platform using magnetic levitation technique and integrating magnetic, gravitational, and drag forces for density-based rare cancer cell sorting

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial indicators of cancer metastasis. However, their rarity in the bloodstream and the heterogeneity of their surface biomarkers present challenges for their isolation. Here, we developed a hybrid microfluidic platform (microfluidic-based density-associated cell sorting (µDACS) platform) that utilizes density as a biophysical marker to sort cancer cells from the population of white blood cells (WBCs). The platform utilizes the magnetic levitation technique on a microfluidic chip to sort cells based on their specific density ranges, operating under a continuous flow condition. By harnessing magnetic, gravitational, and drag forces, the platform efficiently separates cells. This approach involves a microfluidic chip equipped with a microseparator, which directs cells into top and bottom outlets depending on their levitation heights, which are inversely proportional to their densities. Hence, low-density cancer cells are collected from the top outlet, while high-density WBCs are collected from the bottom outlet. We optimized the sorting efficiency by varying the flow rates, and concentrations of the sorting medium's paramagnetic properties using standard densities of polymeric microspheres. To demonstrate the platform's applicability, we performed hybrid microfluidic sorting on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells and U-937 human monocytes. The results showed efficient sorting of rare cancer cells (≥100 cells/mL) from serum samples, achieving a sorting efficiency of ∼70% at a fast-processing speed of 1 mL h−1. This label-free approach holds promise for rapid and cost-effective CTC sorting, facilitating in-vitro diagnosis and prognosis of cancer.

Poly(vinylphosphonic acid) grafted hollow microspheres with nanoparticles-stacked polymer shell for uranium selective extraction: Dynamic role translation of ethyl α-cyanoacrylate

Hollow polymer microspheres (MPs) have attracted much attention in the field of separation science and technology due to their low density, high specific surface area, easy chemical modification, and abundant binding sites. However, traditional methods for preparing hollow microspheres typically involve surfactants and expensive templates, which are time-consuming and uneconomical, and are not suitable for large-scale production. Oil-soluble α-ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA), a highly reactive monomer, has been employed to prepare hollow microspheres efficiently in the current study. Self-stabilizing encapsulation via fast interfacial polymerization of ECA would confer a special Pickering-like emulsion droplet reactor for rapid microcapsule formation. The ECA acts as both a monomer and a Pickering emulsifier during the reaction, in which case the newly formed polyECA (PECA) nanoparticles accumulate at the interface, forming a shell of PECA layer eventually. Excellent mechanical property of the PECA layers prevent droplets from coalescence, resulting in hollow PECA MPs after drying. To provide adsorption sites for chelating of uranyl ions, a water-soluble vinyl monomer grafted with ethylene phosphate (vinylphosphonic acid) was then introduced onto the non-reactive double bonds of the polyECA chain under mild reaction conditions, owning to the slightly amphiphilic nature of the PECA chain. The obtained adsorbent for uranium extraction is thus named as PECA-PO43− MPs. Owing to the accessible affinity sites and hollow structure, PECA-PO43− MPs displayed high adsorption capacities at pH = 7–9, showing remarkable selectivity for uranium even in the presence of various competition ions. Moreover, PECA-PO43− MPs exhibited high stability as well as excellent recyclability toward uranium capture after five regeneration cycles. Therefore, this work not only presents a new clue to fabricate novel functional MPs in a high-efficiency way, but also provides a novel platform for efficient uranium extraction.

Monomer Emission Mechanism Research of Tetraphenylethene Derivative with Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Polymer Microspheres.

The monomer emission property of the tetraphenylethene (TPE) derivative is rarely reported, and its photoluminescence (PL) mechanism related to supramolecular self-assembly needs further in-depth research. Two long alkyl chain modified derivatives, the TPE derivative (TPE-C10) and pyrene derivative (Pyrene-C10), are designed and synthesized, which possess similar supramolecular assembly behavior but exhibit different PL properties. TPE-C10 not only forms self-assembly morphologies with monomer emission but also emits aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Moreover, the polymer microspheres containing TPE-C10 and Pyrene-C10 are prepared, which can dissolve or swell in different organic solvents. The changed binding effect of polymer chains achieves the luminescence transformation of TPE-C10 from AIE to monomer emission. This work hopefully can enrich luminescent materials based on the monomer emission of the TPE derivative and provide a new method for mechanism studies about supramolecular self-assembly and luminescence.

Polymeric Microspheres Designed to Carry Crystalline Drugs at Their Surface or Inside Cavities and Dimples.

Injectable polymer microparticles with the ability to carry and release pharmacologically active agents are attracting more and more interest. This study is focused on the chemical synthesis, characterization, and preliminary exploration of the utility of a new type of injectable drug-releasing polymer microparticle. The particles feature a new combination of structural and physico-chemical properties: (i) their geometry deviates from the spherical in the sense that the particles have a cavity; (ii) the particles are porous and can therefore be loaded with crystalline drug formulations; drug crystals can reside at both the particle's surfaces and inside cavities; (iii) the particles are relatively dense since the polymer network contains covalently bound iodine (approximately 10% by mass); this renders the drug-loaded particles traceable (localizable) by X-ray fluoroscopy. This study presents several examples. First, the particles were loaded with crystalline voriconazole, which is a potent antifungal drug used in ophthalmology to treat fungal keratitis (infection/inflammation of the cornea caused by penetrating fungus). Drug loading as high as 10% by mass (=mass of immobilized drug/(mass of the microparticle + mass of immobilized drug) × 100%) could be achieved. Slow local release of voriconazole from these particles was observed in vitro. These findings hold promise regarding new approaches to treat fungal keratitis. Moreover, this study can help to expand the scope of the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) technique since it enables the use of higher drug loadings (thus enabling higher local drug concentration or extended therapy duration), as well as application of hydrophobic drugs that cannot be used in combination with existing TACE embolic particles.

Engineering the surface patchiness and topography of polystyrene colloids: From spheres to ellipsoids

HypothesisColloidal surface morphology determines suspension properties and applications. While existing methods are effective at generating specific features on spherical particles, an approach extending this to non-spherical particles is currently missing. Synthesizing un-crosslinked polymer microspheres with controlled chemical patchiness would allow subsequent thermomechanical stretching to translate surface topographical features to ellipsoidal particles. ExperimentsA systematic study using seeded emulsion polymerization to create polystyrene (PS) microspheres with controlled surface patches of poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PtBA) was performed with different polymerization parameters such as concentration of tBA monomer, co-swelling agent, and initiator. Thermomechanical stretching converted seed spheres to microellipsoids. Acid catalyzed hydrolysis (ACH) was performed to remove the patch domains. Roughness was characterized before and after ACH using atomic force microscopy. FindingsPS spheres with controlled chemical patchiness were synthesized. A balance between two factors, domain coalescence from reduced viscosity and domain growth via monomer absorption, dictates the final PtBA) patch features. ACH mediated removal of patch domains produced either golf ball-like porous particles or multicavity particles, depending on the size of the precursor patches. Patchy microspheres were successfully stretched into microellipsoids while retaining their surface characteristics. Particle roughness is governed by the patch geometry and increases after ACH. Overall, this study provides a facile yet controllable platform for creating colloids with highly adjustable surface patterns.

Following the Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide in On-Site Mixture Explosives: Study of the Effect of the Auxiliary Oxidising Agent and Binder.

The issues of safety and its impact on both human health and the environment are on-going challenges in the field of explosives (EXs). Consequently, environmentally-friendly EXs have attracted significant interest. Our previous work, dedicated to on-site mixed (OSM) EXs utilising concentrated hydrogen peroxide (HTP) as an oxidising agent, revealed that the gradual decomposition of HTP may be harnessed as an additional safety measure, e.g., protection from theft. The rate of HTP decomposition is dependent on the OSM components, but this dependence is not straightforward. Relevant information about the decomposition of HTP in such complex mixtures is unavailable in literature. Consequently, in this work, we present a more detailed picture of the factors influencing the dynamics of HTP decomposition in EXformulations. The relevant measurement and validation methodology is laid out and the most relevant factors for determining the rate of HTP decomposition are highlighted. Among these, the choice of auxiliary oxidising agent is of particular relevance and it can be seen that the choice to use ammonium nitrate (AN), made in previous works dealing with HTP-based EXs, is sub-optimal in terms of maintaining the stability of HTP. Another important finding is that glass microspheres are not as inert to HTP as would be expected, as replacing them with polymer microspheres significantly slowed the decomposition of HTP in the investigated OSM samples.

Engineering Radioactive Microspheres for Intra‐Arterial Brachytherapy Using Radiation‐Induced Graft Polymerization

AbstractIntravascular brachytherapy requires advances in radio‐embolization technologies that combine brilliant radiostability efficacy with a facile and green synthesis route. A hybrid‐integrated radioactive microsphere strategy using phosphorylcholine‐modified lutetium‐177 coordinated polymeric microspheres (177Lu‐PCMs) is reported that are fabricated via radiation‐induced graft polymerization for imaging‐guided locoregional intravascular brachytherapy. The underlying formation mechanism of 177Lu‐PCMs is elucidated using first‐principles computations and density functional theory calculations, and 177Lu loading mechanisms are investigated with Near‐edge and extended X‐ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The engineered 177Lu‐PCMs exhibit excellent mechanical properties, good hydrophilicity, and controlled sphere diameter. These features provide advantages of ultra‐stable embolic radio‐theranostics, which is demonstrated in different preclinical rodent models and isolated human liver tumor tissues. During locoregional intra‐arterial brachytherapy, 177Lu‐PCMs can be visualized via SPECT to validate the in vivo biodistribution and retention in real time, achieving precise delivery, effective anti‐cancer treatment, and a distinguished safety profile without degradation, ectopic embolization, and adverse reactions. Therefore, this study offer a new avenue for the development of a highly innovative and translational approach for precision intra‐arterial brachytherapy.

Study of the Influence of the Excipients Used for the Synthesis of Microspheres Loaded with Quercetin: Their Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity

The aim of this study was to determine the potential pharmaceutical applications of quercetin—a natural flavonoid compound with a polyphenolic structure—following its encapsulation in polymeric microspheres resistant to degradation. The microspheres were prepared from natural polymeric compounds (chitosan and sodium alginate) via a complex coacervation method, with the goal of protecting quercetin from the degradation reactions that can affect its bioactivity. After the microspheres were prepared, they were characterized using various analytical methods. The encapsulation efficiency (EE (%)), swelling index (idxSWL%), roughness (measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy—CLSM), and surface morphology (measured using scanning electron microscopy—SEM) were all analyzed. In addition, the release capacity of quercetin from the microspheres (mQrel%) and the antimicrobial activity of the microspheres were evaluated in vitro. Finally, a multivariate statistical analysis (MANOVA, p = 0.05, PCA, and AHC) was conducted. This analysis showed that chitosan–sodium alginate–quercetin microspheres (CAQ-Ms) entrap 86.91 ± 1.10–93.11 ± 0.72% quercetin; in vitro, 71.46 ± 0.25–91.06 ± 0.15% quercetin was released, and the swelling index was higher (6701.29 ± 0.39–10,009.30 ± 1.11%) in the phosphate-buffered solution with a pH of 7.4. The CLSM and SEM analyses showed that the polymer concentration in CAQ-Ms was increased, and the roughness and smoothness of the microspheres were also increased. SEM also showed that the external layer of CAQ-Ms was formed from chitosan and the internal layer was formed from sodium alginate. Antimicrobial tests showed that CAQ-Ms had antibacterial and antifungal effects on the analyzed strains and produced larger inhibition zones between 15.3 and 14.4 mm on Escherichia coli and between 13.3 and 14.2 mm on Candida albicans, and smaller inhibition zones, between 12.4 and 13.6 mm, on Staphylococcus aureus. According to the obtained results, after the multivariate statistical analysis, it can be observed that the best performance was presented by samples P1, P2, and P3. In conclusion, the method used for the formulation of CAQ-Ms was efficient because it enabled an increase in the solubility of quercetin in water and its protection against external and internal degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. This system can be further used to produce new pills for oral administration that are able to reach the small intestine, where they can then release loaded active drugs.

Development of Clindamycin Loaded Oral Microsponges (Clindasponges) for Antimicrobial Enhancement: In Vitro Characterization and Simulated in Vivo Studies.

Clindamycin phosphate (CLP) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is used widely for different types of infections. It has a short half-life and hence it should be taken every six hours to ensure adequate antibiotic blood concentration. On the other hand, microsponges are extremely porous polymeric microspheres, offering the prolonged controlled release of the drug. The present study aims to develop and evaluate innovative CLP-loaded microsponges (named Clindasponges) to prolong and control the drug release and enhance its antimicrobial activity, consequently improving patient compliance. The clindasponges were fabricated successfully by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion technique using Eudragit S100 (ES100) and ethyl cellulose (EC) as carriers at various drug-polymer ratios. Several variables were optimized for the preparation technique including the type of solvent, stirring time, and stirring speed. The clindasponges were then characterized in terms of particle size, production yield, encapsulation efficiency, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis, in vitro drug release with kinetic modeling, and antimicrobial activity study. Moreover, in vivo, pharmacokinetics parameters of CLP from the candidate formula were simulated based on the convolution method and in vitro-in vivo correlation (IVIVC-Level A) was built up successfully. Uniform spherical microsponges with 82.3 µm mean particle size with a porous spongy structure were evident. ES2 batch exhibited the highest production yield and encapsulation efficiency (53.75 and 74.57%, respectively) and it was able to exhaust 94% of the drug at the end of 8 h of the dissolution test. The release profile data of ES2 was best fitted to Hopfenberg kinetic model. ES2 was significantly (p < 0.05) effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli compared to the control. Also, ES2 displayed a twofold increase in the simulated area under the curve (AUC) compared to the reference marketed product.

Controllable synthesis of 3D superhydrophilic Cd(II) ion-imprinted polymer microspheres based on OV-POSS and bifunctional monomers synergy with superior selectivity for Cd(II) adsorption

Novel 3D porous Cd(II) ion-imprinted polymer (Cd(II)-IIP) microspheres based on octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OV-POSS) were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique combined with the synergistic effect of N-hydroxymethylacrylamide (NMA) and 1-vinylimidazole (1-VI) as bifunctional monomers. RAFT polymerization could achieve a controllable synthesis of polymer networks on OV-POSS. The structure, composition and properties of Cd(II)-IIP were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, water contact angle and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the adsorbent, with a water contact angle of 0 ° and superhydrophilicity, has a high potential for application in aqueous phase systems. Different parameters influencing the sorption performance of Cd(II)-IIP, such as OV-POSS ratio, functional monomers ratio, adsorbent dosage, pH and adsorption time were optimized. Under optimal conditions, the maximum adsorption amount of Cd(II)-IIP for Cd(II) was 80.21 mg/g, and the adsorption equilibrium state could be reached within 40 min. The sorption kinetics proved that the sorption was chemisorption and the rate-limiting step was intraparticle diffusion. Thermodynamic studies showed that Cd(II) sorption was a spontaneous endothermic process. Importantly, XPS analysis, density functional theory (DFT) and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory calculations showed that the sorption of Cd(II)-IIP was attributed to the coordination of O and N atoms with Cd(II) on NMA and1-VI, respectively. Actual water sample analysis results indicated that Cd(II)-IIP was an adsorbent of great application potential.

Isolation of antibody by polymer microspheres embedded with E. coli displaying IgG-binding domain

Antibody purification is an important aspect of quality and cost control in the production process of antibody drugs. In this study, modified E. coli was embedded into polymer microspheres (polyvinyl alcohol/alginate) for antibody separation and the IgG binding domain was displayed on the surface of E. coli. The results showed that ZZ protein (Fc binding domain of the antibody) was successfully displayed on the surface of E. coli and was embedded in polyvinyl alcohol/alginate microspheres. In addition, it has excellent specific adsorption capacity for antibodies, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 35.74 mg/g (wet microspheres). Through the adsorption isotherm and adsorption kinetics simulation, the adsorption of IgG on the microsphere matrix conforms to the Langmuir model and follows the pseudo-first-order kinetic equation. The microsphere matrix can undergo saturation adsorption at pH 7.2 and desorption at around pH 3.0. Desorption characteristics are consistent with those of rProtein A Sepharose FF®. After five cycles of the adsorption–desorption processes, the IgG adsorption capacity remains above 80%. Using polymer microspheres to separate antibodies from mouse ascites, the antibody purity reached 86.7% and the yield was 83.5%. These results provide an alternative to protein A matrix with low-cost, fast preparation and moderate efficiency.

Synthesis of metal‐containing Schiff based cyclomatrix polyphosphazene microspheres based on polyoxometalates and application in flame retardance for epoxy resin

AbstractA novel kind of polyoxometalate (POM) ‐containing Schiff based polyphosphazene microspheres (PSPMs) were successfully prepared through the polycondensation between POM‐containing polyaldehyde and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane. The PSPMs attained excellent thermal stability and demonstrated good monodispersity with a diameter of about 400 nm. In this work, the fire resistance of PSPMs was investigated in the epoxy resin (EP) matrices. Notably, the PSPMs displayed good distribution in EP matrices. Therefore, the dynamic mechanical properties of EP/PSPMs composite were enhanced. After the addition of 4 wt% PSPMs, the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the char yield at 750°C of the EP/PSPMs composite increased from 12.9 wt% (EP) to 29.0 wt% in nitrogen. And the composite attained a limiting oxygen index of 27.5% and passed the UL‐94V‐1 rating. In comparison with that of pure EP, the peak value of the heat release rate and total smoke production decreased dramatically. Meanwhile, the toxic CO gas was largely reduced due to the reduction reaction of POM during the combustion process. To further illuminate the flame‐retardant mechanism, the char residues and gaseous pyrolysis products of EP/PSPMs were examined. This work may provide a new perspective for the synthesis and application of functional metal‐containing polymer microspheres.

Synthesis of amphiphilic Janus SiO2/styrene butyl acrylate polymer microspheres and their application in oil recovery

We report the design and synthesis of two kinds of amphiphilic Janus SiO2 nanoparticles, including polyacrylic acid/polystyrene (PAA/PS) Janus SiO2 and polyacrylic acid/polymethylmethacrylate (PAA/PMMA) Janus SiO2. The amphiphilic Janus SiO2 nanoparticles can effectively stabilize polystyrene butyl acrylate (P(St-BA)) composite microspheres, forming low-cost oil displacing systems to improve the oil recovery of heterogeneous and low-permeability reservoirs. Among them, the PAA/PS Janus SiO2 stabilized P(St-BA) are demonstrated with good injection, migration, and plugging performance, as well as high temperature and salt resistance. These advantages enable the system an oil recovery increment of 32%. In addition, the microspheres also present good enhanced oil recovery potential in heterogeneous reservoirs, especially for cores with a permeability ratio of 2.0. In principle, the oil displacement of this system is achieved by the synergic effect of amphiphilic Janus SiO2 nanoparticles and composite microspheres. This work thus provides a promising method for high-performance yet low-cost oil recovery improvement.

CO2-Responsive Polymer Microspheres for Controlling CO2 Breakthrough in Tight Reservoirs

CO2-Responsive Polymer Microspheres for Controlling CO2 Breakthrough in Tight Reservoirs

Preparation and application of diacetone-based functionalized polymeric microspheres

Diacetone is widely used to form chelates with various metals. Polymer materials containing acetylacetone have great potential for catalytic reactions, the separation of heavy metals, and luminescent materials. In this report, we chose 2-(acetoacetoxy)ethyl methacrylate (AAEM) as a functional monomer. We synthesised monodisperse polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) with diacetone on the surface via one-step RAFT-assisted dispersion photopolymerisation using P(AAEM-co-mPEGA) as a stabiliser. This type of functional microsphere can be used for catalysis after the adsorption of TiO2. Using 2-(acetoxy)ethyl methacrylate (AAEM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and dipropylene glycol diacrylate (DPGDA) as crosslinking agents and the poly(acrylamide N,N-dimethyl) macromolecular RAFT reagent (P(DMA)-TTC) as a stabiliser, we obtained other functional microspheres using diacetone. These microspheres can be further utilised as magnetic microspheres by swelling in DMF and adsorbing iron and ferrous ions. We also evaluated the magnetic content and thermal stability of microspheres with different AAEM and MMA monomer ratios. Polymer microspheres have great potential in various applications owing to their excellent monodispersibility, superparamagnetism, and easy separation. Our study provides a new, simple, and effective method for preparing surface- and internal-functionalized microspheres.