Nanophase separated amphiphilic microbeads

The synthesis of nonporous nanophase separated amphiphilic microbeads was investigated. The synthesis was performed with a mixture of α,ω- methacrylate-terminated poly-dimethylsiloxane (MA-PDMS-MA), trimethylsilylated 2-hydroxyethylacrylate (TMSOEA) and the photoinitiator Irgacure 651 emulsified in a surfactant solution in 100 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. Attenuated total reflection (ATR) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) was used to investigate the chemical composition of the particles near their surface. The amphiphilic microbeads showed the phase separation in bulk as well as on the surface and was found to be effective as solid-phase transfer of a α-chymotrypsin- catalyzed biotransformation in octane.