Molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres prepared by Pickering emulsion polymerization for selective solid-phase extraction of eight bisphenols from human urine samples

The bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polymer microspheres were prepared by simple Pickering emulsion polymerization. Compared to traditional bulk polymerization, both high yields of polymer and good control of particle sizes were achieved. The characterization results of scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements showed that the obtained molecularly imprinted polymer microsphere (MIPMS) particles possessed regular spherical shape, narrow diameter distribution (30–60 μm), a specific surface area (S_BET) of 281.26 m² g⁻¹ and a total pore volume (V_t) of 0.459 cm³ g⁻¹. Good specific adsorption capacity for BPA was obtained in the sorption experiment and good class selectivity for BPA and its seven structural analogs (bisphenol F, bisphenol B, bisphenol E, bisphenol AF, bisphenol S, bisphenol AP and bisphenol Z) was demonstrated by the chromatographic evaluation experiment. The MIPMS as solid-phase extraction (SPE) packing material was then evaluated for extraction and clean-up of these bisphenols (BPs) from human urine samples. An accurate and sensitive analytical method based on the MIPMS-SPE coupled with HPLC-DAD has been successfully established for simultaneous determination of eight BPs from human urine samples with detection limits of 1.2–2.2 ng mL⁻¹. The recoveries of BPs for urine samples at two spiking levels (100 and 500 ng mL⁻¹ for each BP) were in the range of 81.3–106.7% with RSD values below 8.3%.     

Controlling internal nanostructures of porous microspheres prepared via electrospraying

The focus of this work is to control and study internal nanostructures of electrosprayed polymer microspheres. In order to make the study easy, the microspheres were cut, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with image analysis software was employed to evaluate the size distributions and the internal nanostructures of microspheres. According to the observation and analysis results, three types of polyethersulfone porous microspheres (perfect sphere-shaped, red blood cell-shaped, and Chinese lantern-shaped) with a diameter ranging from 3 to 20 μm were prepared via electrospraying technology. By controlling the process parameters, the porous microspheres with three kinds of internal nanostructures, namely, macrovoid internal nanostructure, sponge-pore internal nanostructure, and parallel internal macrovoid nanostructure were produced. The results demonstrate that the presence of some additive, such as polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl alcohol, can control the internal nanostructures of the electrosprayed microspheres effectively. The possible mechanism for the formation of internal nanostructures was also proposed.     

Synthesis of core-shell polymer microspheres by two-stage distillation-precipitation polymerization

Narrow- or monodisperse core-shell polymer microspheres with a dense core and a lightly crosslinked shell with different functional groups, such as ester, hydroxyl, cyano, were prepared by two-stage distillation-precipitation polymerization without any stabilizer. Commercial divinylbenzene (DVB), containing 80% of DVB was polymerized by distillation-precipitation polymerization with 2,2′-azobis(2-methyl propionitrile) (AIBN) as initiator in neat acetonitrile in the absence of any stabilizer as the first stage polymerization and used as the core. When the conversion of DVB was about 35% in the first stage, the second-comonomers with different functional groups, such as methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), butyl methacrylate (BMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), i-octyl acrylate (i-OA), dodecyl acrylate (DA), methyl acrylate (MA), ethyl acrylate (EA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (Trim), and acrylnitrile (AN) together with AIBN were introduced, respectively, into the reaction system and copolymerized with unreacted DVB on the core surface to form a lightly crosslinked functional shell. The resulting core-shell polymer particles were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FT-IR spectra.     

Drastic difference in porous structure of calcium alginate microspheres prepared with fresh or hydrolyzed sodium alginate

Fresh or hydrolyzed sodium alginate was used as a material for preparing calcium alginate microspheres, and a drastic difference in porous structure was observed between them, even though the other materials and the preparation method except for the sodium alginate were exactly the same. When fresh sodium alginate was used, nonporous microspheres were obtained. In contrast, when 82-day-hydrolyzed sodium alginate, whose molecular weight became 7% of the molecular weight of the fresh sodium alginate, was used, porous microspheres with 6.5 times larger BET surface area were obtained. XPS studies indicated that the atomic ratio of Ca, the crosslinker of the alginic acid polymer, was almost the same in both cases. Therefore, the difference in porous structure was not attributed to the amount of crosslinking points, but to the low-molecular-weight compounds formed by hydrolysis, and they would work as pore-generating agents.     

ZnO/PS core-shell hybrid microspheres prepared with miniemulsion polymerization

The hybrid microspheres of ZnO/PS with different core-shell structures were prepared in miniemulsion polymerization. 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MPS) was used as a functional co-monomer to enhance the surface polarity of ZnO nanoparticles and to prevent water from quenching the luminescent properties of ZnO. The morphology of hybrid particles was examined with a transmission electron microscope. The luminescence spectra were measured using a Shimadzu RF-5301 PC spectrofluorimeter (Xe source) at room temperature. The crystallization structure of samples was characterized with a Rigaku wide-angle X-ray diffractometer. The chemical composition and structure of the ZnO colloids, MPS-modified ZnO colloids, and ZnO/PS hybrid microspheres were analyzed with IR.     

Monodisperse polystyrene microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation

Monodisperse polystyrene microspheres with diameters of 200–500 nm were prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation with poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) as a steric stabilizer and 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile as a radical initiator in an ethanol/water medium. The morphology, size, and size distribution of the polystyrene microspheres were characterized with transmission electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy, and the formed films of the polystyrene dispersions were characterized with atomic force microscopy. The effects of the monomer concentration, stabilizer concentration, and initiator concentration on the size and size distribution of the polystyrene microspheres were investigated. The polystyrene microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization with microwave irradiation were smaller, more uniform, and steadier than those obtained with conventional heating. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2368‐2376, 2005     

Highly crosslinked micron-range polymer microspheres by dispersion polymerization of divinylbenzene

Narrow disperse microparticles are formed by dispersion polymerization of commercial divinylbenzene in acetonitrile or ethanol solution in the presence of 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) initiator and polyvinylpyrrolidone stabilizer. The particles have average diameters between 1 and 9 μm depending on monomer concentration, solvent, and temperature. While the smaller particles are relatively smooth, surface texture increases with diameter to give popcorn shapes at 9 μm diameter. High crosslinker concentration is shown to be essential for particle formation. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Adsorption of carbaryl using molecularly imprinted microspheres prepared by precipitation polymerization

To obtain the desired specific adsorbents for carbaryl to enrichment, separation, and analysis of trace pesticide residues in environmental water, molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microspheres were prepared by precipitation polymerization using carbaryl, methacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), and acetonitrile as template, functional monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, and porogen, respectively. Molecular modeling software was used to compute rational interaction between the template molecule and function monomer. The adsorption properties of carbaryl in acetonitrile for imprinted microspheres were evaluated by equilibrium rebinding experiments. Scatchard plot analysis revealed that there was one class of binding sites populated in the imprinted polymer microspheres with dissociation constants of 3.3 × 10^?2 mol/l and an apparent maximum number of 1.95 µmol/g. The specificity of the imprinted microspheres was investigated by binding analysis using carbaryl and structurally related carbamate pesticides. The results indicated that the obtained imprinted microspheres showed a good selectivity for carbaryl. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure controlling and adsorption application of polyethersulfone porous microspheres prepared via electrospraying

The focus of this work is to control the structure of electrosprayed polymer microspheres and then study the effect of different structures on the microspheres＇ adsorption properties. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） coupled with image analysis software was employed to evaluate the size distributions and the structure of microspheres. According to the observation and analysis results, two types of polyethersulfone （PES） porous microspheres （perfect sphere-shaped and collapsed） were prepared via electrospraying technology by adjusting the solvent and polymer molecular weight. The porous PES microspheres can remove bisphenol A （BPA） from its aqueous solution effectively. Compared with collapsed microspheres, the rough microspheres had much higher specific surface area and better mobility in the BPA aqueous solution, so it showed a better adsorption capacity than that of collapsed microspheres. The solvent evaporation rate and the occurrence rate of phase separation significantly affect the structure and morphology of microspheres.     

Preparation of polymer hollow microspheres covered by polymer solid particles via two polymerization steps

A novel surface modification method for titania nanoparticles is provided via the surface‐initiated photocatalytic polymerization with the aid of acrylic acid (AA) or sodium styrene sulfonate (NaSS). The properties of modified titania nanoparticles are investigated with aqueous electrophoresis measurements, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Then the modified titania is used as Pickering stabilizer for further polymerization and the morphology of the resulted polymer microspheres is characterized by TEM and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. It is proven that the addition of AA or NaSS for the surface‐initiated polymerization can obviously affect the structure and morphology of the final polymer composite microspheres. The formation mechanism of several kinds of polymer particles is also proposed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Stimuli-responsive polyelectrolyte polymer brushes prepared via atom-transfer radical polymerization

We present an account of our research into polyelectrolyte polymer brushes that are capable of acting as stimuli-responsive films. We first detail the synthesis of poly(acrylic acid) polymer brushes using ATRP in a "grafting from" strategy. Significantly, we employed a chemical-free deprotection step that should leave the anchoring ester groups intact. We have demonstrated how these polymer assemblies respond to stimuli such as pH and electrolyte concentration. We have used poly(acrylic acid) polymer brushes for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles and review this work. We have used XPS, ATR-FTIR, and AFM spectroscopy to show the presence of silver and palladium nanoparticles within polymer brushes. Finally, we report the synthesis of AB diblock polyampholyte polymer brushes that represent an extension of polyelectrolyte polymer brushes.     

Cagelike polymer microspheres with hollow core/porous shell structures

Submicron‐scaled cagelike polymer microspheres with hollow core/porous shell were synthesized by self‐assembling of sulfonated polystyrene (PS) latex particles at monomer droplets interface. The swelling of the PS latex particles by the oil phase provided a driving force to develop the hollow core. The latex particles also served as porogen that would disengage automatically during polymerization. Influential factors that control the morphology of the microspheres, including the reserving time of emulsions, polymerization rate, and the Hildebrand solubility parameter and polarity of the oil phase, were studied. A variety of monomers were polymerized into microspheres with hollow core/porous shell structure and microspheres with different diameters and pore sizes were obtained. The polymer microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 933–941, 2007     

Reactive poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) [poly(GMA)] microspheres of narrow size distribution were prepared in a simple one‐step procedure by dispersion radical polymerization. Depending on the solvent used, poly(GMA) particle size could be controlled in the range of 0.5–4 μm by changing the solubility parameter of the reaction mixture. In N,N′‐dimethylformamide (DMF)/methanol mixture, the particle size increased and the size distribution broadened with decreasing initial solubility parameter. While in the DMF/methanol solvent system, hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) or cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) were taken as steric stabilizers of the dispersion polymerization, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) was used in alcoholic media. Contrary to the DMF/methanol system, narrow particle size distributions were obtained with PVP‐stabilized polymerizations in ethanolic, methanolic, propan‐1‐olic or butan‐1‐olic medium. Both the particle size and polydispersity were reduced with increasing stabilizer concentration. If lower molecular‐weight PVP was used, larger microspheres were obtained. Poly(GMA) samples prepared in a neat alcoholic medium virtually quantitatively retained oxirane group content after the polymerization. Reactivity of the poly(GMA) microspheres was confirmed by their hydrolysis and aminolysis. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 3855–3863, 2000     

Anionic surfactant for silica-coated polystyrene composite microspheres prepared with miniemulsion polymerization

Raspberry-like composite microspheres with polystyrene (PS) cores and silica shell were prepared through miniemulsion polymerization by using the anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a surfactant and 1-vinylimidazole (1-VID) as an auxiliary monomer. The strong acid–base interaction between acidic hydroxyl groups of silica surfaces and basic amino groups of 1-VID promote the formation of long-term stable PS/SiO₂ nanocomposite microspheres. Transmission electron microscopy TEM studies indicated that the acid–base interaction between silica nanoparticles and auxiliary monomer was strong enough for the formation of colloidally stable composite microspheres, which have raspberry-like morphology. Influences of several synthetic parameters, such as initial silica amount, the amount of auxiliary monomer 1-VID, and SDS concentration on the polymerization stability, diameters, and morphology of the composite microspheres were studied. A tentative mechanism of the formation of nanocomposite particles was proposed.     

Preparation of monodispersed polystyrene microspheres uniformly coated by magnetite via heterogeneous polymerization

Composite microspheres of core-shell type were prepared by a seeded polymerization using monodispersed polystyrene seed latex (Ps) combined with an in situ dispersion of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) fine particles. The heterogeneous polymerization was carried out in aqueous dispersions of the Fe₃O₄ particles modified with sodium oleate. All the synthetic processes were carried out in a wet state to avoid serious agglomeration. The morphology of the composite particle and the size distribution were examined to discuss the effects on the polymerization parameters, such as monomer concentration, type and concentration of an initiator, magnetite particle concentration and the method of surface modification of Fe₃O₄.     

Morphological investigation of styrene and acrylamide polymer microspheres prepared by dispersion copolymerization

 The morphology of the styrene and acrylamide copolymer microspheres prepared by dispersion copolymerization in an ethanol/water medium was investigated. The effects of the styrene/acrylamide ratio, ethanol/water ratio and stabilizer concentration on the particle size and size distribution were studied. It was found that the initial solubility parameter of the system was the key factor in the process. The comonomer acrylamide also played an important role in the particle size and size distribution in the presence of cross-linking agent (divinylbenzene). Received: 29 October 1999 Accepted in revised form: 29 November 1999