Preparation and Surface Modification of Non-porous Micron-sized Magnetic Poly(methyl acrylate) Microspheres

Micron-sized magnetic poly (methyl acrylate) (mPMA) microspheres were prepared by a novel modified suspension polymerization method. mPMA microspheres were highly functionalized by the ammonolysis reaction with ethylenediamine to yield abundant amino groups (-NH2) on the surface. The morphology, magnetic property and surface functionality of the magnetic microspheres were examined by SEM, VSM and FTIR respectively. The results showed that the mPMA microspheres had average size of about 5 μm and superparamagnetic property. The micron-sized mPMA microspheres with amino functional groups have extensive potential applications in biotechnology such as enzyme immobilization and affinity separation.