Complex microparticulate systems based on glycidyl methacrylate and xanthan

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Development of porous microparticles is crucial for applications in adsorption, drug delivery, and catalysis.
• Glycidyl methacrylate and dimethacrylic monomers are common building blocks for polymer matrices.
• Incorporating natural polymers like xanthan gum can impart unique properties to synthetic microparticles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize porous microparticles based on glycidyl methacrylate, dimethacrylic monomers, and xanthan gum.
• To investigate the effect of xanthan gum incorporation on the microparticle structure, surface area, and sorption properties.
• To compare the performance of microparticles with and without xanthan gum.

Main Methods:

• Aqueous suspension polymerization was employed to synthesize microparticles using glycidyl methacrylate, dimethacrylic monomers, and xanthan gum.
• Initiators such as benzoyl peroxide and ammonium persulfate were used in the presence of toluene as a diluent.
• Characterization involved FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS).

Main Results:

• Xanthan gum was successfully incorporated into the crosslinked polymer matrix via covalent bonding.
• Microparticles containing xanthan gum (X microparticles) exhibited a porous structure with a significantly higher specific surface area (129-44 m²/g) compared to those without (G microparticles, 69-31 m²/g).
• X microparticles demonstrated superior sorption capacities relative to G microparticles.

Conclusions:

• The synthesis method effectively produced porous microparticles with tunable properties.
• The inclusion of xanthan gum enhances the specific surface area and sorption capabilities of glycidyl methacrylate-based microparticles.
• These xanthan gum-modified microparticles represent promising materials for applications demanding high adsorption efficiency.