Effects of dispersion stabilizer and reaction solvent on forming monodisperse polystyrene microspheres by dispersion polymerization

We used poly(aspartic acid) (PAsp) synthesized by ion exchange with sodium polyaspartate (PAspNa) as a dispersion stabilizer. PAsp improved the dispersion stability and the solubility in the medium for dispersion polymerization. The effects of the stabilizer hydrophobicity on particle formation, conversion, particle diameter, and its distribution of polystyrene microspheres were investigated by using both biodegradable polymers as a dispersion stabilizer. According to these results, we concluded that the polymerization rate of the styrene with PAsp was higher than that of styrene with PAspNa. That is why, smaller and more monodisperse microspheres were prepared with PAsp, compared to those with PAspNa.