Preparation of hydrogel beads from crosslinked poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres by alkaline hydrolysis

Abstract

Poly(methyl methacrylate)/(PMMA) microspheres crosslinked with various concentrations of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM) were prepared by a suspension polymerization procedure. They were subjected to alkaline hydrolysis in ethylene glycol at high temperature (> 175°C), resulting in the rapid conversion of methacrylate ester functions to methacrylic acid, while retaining the spherical shape of the microspheres intact. The method provides a novel approach to obtain smooth, nearly perfect spherical, mechanically strong, high water-absorbing hydrogel beads from crosslinked PMMA. The reaction has been found to be considerably faster than many of the hydrolysis procedures reported previously. The effect of concentration of alkali, particle size, crosslinking density, and reaction time on the extent of hydrolysis has been investigated to a limited extent.