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Fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) and TiO2 composite microspheres with controlled morphologies and porous structures by electrospraying

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Abstract

This paper describes the fabrication of porous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and PMMA/TiO2 composite microspheres by electrospraying in a humid chamber. The effects of polymer concentration, co-solvent ratio, and relative humidity on morphology were evaluated to prepare microspheres with well-defined porous structures. Dichloromethane and hexanol were used as the solvent and co-solvent in solvent mixture for PMMA, respectively. The optimized conditions were established as 4 wt% for PMMA concentration, 10 wt% for hexanol ratio, and 60 % for relative humidity. The resultant PMMA microspheres exhibited a spherical morphology and a highly porous structure. Among the process variables, relative humidity was found to be a critical factor for the development of large surface pores. In addition, PMMA/TiO2 composite microspheres with a highly porous structure were prepared by simply mixing TiO2 nanopowders in a PMMA solution before electrospraying. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed that the TiO2 nanopowders were well distributed throughout the composite microspheres. Our results clearly indicate that porous PMMA and PMMA/TiO2 microspheres have potential uses as catalyst carriers, sensors, and in cosmetics, among other possibilities.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (NRF-2014R1A1A1005826), a grant from the “GRRC” Project of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government, Korea, and Amorepacific R&D Center.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, 43 Jibong-ro, 43-1 Yeokgok 2-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 420-743, Republic of Korea

      Dong-Hyun Paik, Ki-Young Jeong, Rae-Hyoung Gang & Sung-Wook Choi

    2. Skin Research Division, Amorepacific R&D Center, 1920 Yonggu-daero, Kiheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-729, Republic of Korea

      Hyunsuk Lee & Johnhwan Lee

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    1. Hyunsuk Lee
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    2. Dong-Hyun Paik
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    5. Johnhwan Lee
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    6. Sung-Wook Choi
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    Correspondence to Sung-Wook Choi.

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    Hyunsuk Lee and Dong-Hyun Paik have equally contributed to this article.

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    Lee, H., Paik, DH., Jeong, KY. et al. Fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) and TiO2 composite microspheres with controlled morphologies and porous structures by electrospraying. J Mater Sci 50, 6531–6538 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9216-5

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9216-5

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