Permanently porous copolymeric microspheres based on aromatic methacrylates

Permanently porous copolymers derived from multifunctional methacrylate monomers were prepared by suspension polymerization. The polymerization process was carried out in the presence of toluene and decan-1-ol used as pore forming diluents. Influence of chemical structure of monomers on porous structure of the studied microspheres, the residual C=C bonds, and their thermal properties was studied. Moreover, chromatographic retention selectivity of methacrylate microspheres was determined and compared with the commercially available polymeric stationary phase - Porapak Q. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.