PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF UNIFORM BEADS BASED ON MACROPOROUS GLYCIDYL METHACRYLATE ETHYLENE DIMETHACRYLATE COPOLYMER - USE OF CHAIN TRANSFER AGENT FOR CONTROL OF THE PORE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION

Poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) beads were prep ared by both standard suspension polymerization and suspension polymer ization in which the suspension of monodispersed droplets of the polym erization mixture was prepared by swelling of the shape-template polym er particles with porogen diluents and monomers. The effect of butanet hiol, a chain-transfer agent in radical polymerization, on pore-size d istribution, specific surface area, and chromatographic properties was investigated and the mechanism of its action explained. The synergic effects of the chain transfer, cross-linking monomer concentration, an d content of porogenic diluent were documented.