Preparation of Hollow/Porous Polymeric Microspheres based on OH-HPEEK and PVA

The formation of polymer microspheres based on rigid polymer (hydroxyl-terminated trifluoromethylphenyl substituted hyperbranched poly ether ether ketone, OH-HPEEK) and flexible polymer (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) in tetrahydrofuran/water (THF/H2O) system was studied. The results of SEM and TEM showed that such a rigid-coil polymer pair could form the microspheres with hollow core/porous shell structure. Moreover, the formation of the hollow core/porous shell structure not only depended on the concentrations of PVA and OH-HPEEK, but also on the structure of OH-HPEEK. A formation mechanism (combination of self-assemble and solvent evaporation method) of the hollow/porous polymer microspheres was proposed based on the experimental process and results.

Polymeric microspheres with hollow core/porous shell structure were prepared based on the involvement of rigid hyperbranched polymers (OH-HPEEK).Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide