Manufacture of poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres using membrane emulsification

Area of Science:

• Polymer science and engineering
• Materials science
• Chemical engineering

Background:

• Controlling synthetic polymer particle size at scale with narrow polydispersity is a significant manufacturing challenge.
• Cross-flow membrane emulsification (XME) is a technique known for precise droplet size control under optimized operating conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the application of XME for the scaled production of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres.
• To investigate the influence of key parameters on the XME process for precursor emulsion formation.
• To establish the correlation between precursor emulsion droplet size and final polymer particle size.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-flow membrane emulsification (XME) for preparing poly(methyl methacrylate) precursor emulsions.
• Investigated the impact of critical operating parameters on the emulsification process.
• Conducted batch suspension polymerization using the prepared emulsions.

Main Results:

• Achieved precise control over poly(methyl methacrylate) microsphere size and narrow polydispersity at a 1-10 L/h scale.
• Demonstrated that XME provides equivalent control over precursor emulsion size as it does for droplet size.
• Confirmed a strong correlation between the size of the precursor emulsion droplets and the final polymer particles.
• Successfully produced both solid microspheres and oil-filled microcapsules.

Conclusions:

• Cross-flow membrane emulsification (XME) is a viable and effective technique for the scalable manufacturing of synthetic polymer particles with controlled size and narrow polydispersity.
• The study highlights the direct relationship between emulsion characteristics and final polymer particle properties, enabling predictable synthesis.
• XME facilitates the production of diverse polymer particle morphologies, including solid microspheres and microcapsules, for various applications.