Preparation of monodispersed porous polyacrylamide microspheres via phase separation in microchannels

We report on the formation of polyacrylamide (PAM)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) core/shell droplets in a microchannel via the polymerization-induced phase separation of an acrylamide (AM)/PEG aqueous system. Monodispersed porous PAM microspheres were prepared from the PAM/PEG core/shell droplets, and we examined the effects of experimental parameters on the phase separation process and on the particle size and pore structure of the resulting PAM microspheres. PAM microspheres could be readily obtained with adjustable particle sizes and porosities by altering the PEG and crosslinker contents and by using PEG with different molecular weights. The relation between the swelling value and porosity is correlated.