The Effect of Different Porogens on Porous PMMA Microspheres by Seed Swelling Polymerization and Its Application in High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Monodisperse cross-linked porous poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres (~2.5 μm in diameter) were prepared by using an improved two-step seed swelling polymerization method with monodisperse micron-grade PMMA microspheres seeds. The porous PMMA microspheres with diverse surface morphology and pore structure were obtained by tuning porogen systems. The monodisperse porous PMMA microspheres, which were prepared using toluene:dibutylphthalate (DBP) = 1:1 (v/v) as a porogen system, had the smallest pore size and the largest specific surface area. Then, the monodisperse porous PMMA microspheres were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography. The liquid chromatographic column filler successfully realized complete separation of arginine, glycine and glutamic acid, and the separation effect was good. The porous PMMA microspheres provide a new material for the separation of amino acids by liquid chromatography.