Monodisperse macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres coated with silica: Design, preparation and characterization

Monosized macroporous poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) microspheres that were 9.3 μm in size were synthesized by multistep swelling polymerization using a modified Ugelstad technique. The PGMA microspheres and their hydrolyzed analogs derived from poly(2,3-dihydroxypropyl methacrylate) (PDHPMA) were coated by silanization with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), respectively. The particles were characterized by elemental and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis, scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and FT-IR spectroscopy to determine the SiO2 content, morphology, particle size, polydispersity and structure. These types of particles are expected to have improved biocompatibility relative to their starting polymers.