Synthesis and applications of porous spg (shirasu porous glass) microspheres

Fairly uniform porous microspheres of poly(styrene) (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were synthesized using a particular microporous glass membrane (SPG). Average diameters of these spheres are from 2.5 to 38 μm with the coefficient of variation (CV) around 10%. A maximum specific surface area of 370 m 2 /g was achieved. Uniform dispersion of MMA droplets was successfully prepared only when the swelling process reported by Higuchi and Misra was adopted. Two potential applications, one as a packing material for column chromatography, and the other as a carrier of enzyme immobilization, were demonstrated.