Rapid fabrication of monodisperse PMMA microspheres through dispersion photopolymerization under green LED irradiation

Dispersion photopolymerization was carried out under green LED irradiation to rapidly prepare monodisperse poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microspheres with small size by using a high-efficient three-component initiating system. The polymerization parameters including exposure time, MMA content, stirring speed, water ratio and PVP content were systematically investigated. Crucial parameters were further optimized by response surface method (RSM), and a corresponding polymerization mechanism was proposed. Finally, PMMA microspheres with 375.6 nm of size and 0.101 of PDI were prepared. This study provides a facile method for the rapid fabrication of PMMA microspheres.