Preparation of well-defined core-shell particles by Cu2+-mediated graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate from bovine serum albumin

Small well-defined core-shell poly(methyl methacrylate)-bovine serum albumin (PMMA-BSA) particles have been prepared in a direct one-step graft copolymerization of MMA from BSA at 75 degrees C in water with a trace amount of Cu2+ (5 mu M). Initially, BSA generates free radicals and acts as a multifunctional macroinitiator, which leads to the formation of an amphiphilic PMMA-BSA grafting copolymer. Such formed copolymer chains act as a polymeric stabilizer to promote further emulsion polymerization of MMA inside, resulting in surfactant-free stable core-shell particles, confirmed by a transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analysis. The PMMA-BSA copolymers as well as PMMA homopolymer inside the particles were isolated by Soxhlet extraction and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetry (TG). The highest grafting efficiency was similar to 80%. Effects of the reaction temperature, the MMA/BSA ratio, and the concentrations of Cu2+ and BSA on such core-shell particle formation have been systematically studied. Due to their inert PMMA core and biocompatible BSA shell, these small polymer particles are potentially useful in biomedical applications.