Uniform-size hydrophobic polymer-based separation media selectively modified with a hydrophilic external polymeric layer

A simple procedure for the preparation of macroporous hydrophobic styrene-divinylbenzene polymeric separation media with a hydrophilic outer surface has been developed. A hydrophilic monomer and water-soluble polymerization initiator are added to the reaction mixture during the final polymerization step of the preparation of size-monodisperse particles. Because the hydrophobic styrene-divinylbenzene framework of the beads is already formed, and the hydrophilic monomer does not penetrate the pores of the beads that are filled with a hydrophobic porogen, the hydrophilic layer is formed only at the surface of the beads. The hydrophilic monomers used included glycerol monomethacrylate and glycerol dimethacrylate and toluene was used as the porogen for the poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads. Comparative experiments involving beads with or without a hydrophilic medium showed that the separation selectivity of the media towards hydrophobic solutes remains unchanged. However, the modified medium with a hydrophilic layer could be used to analyse mixtures that also contained large peptide molecules as these do not adsorb at its surface as is the case with the unmodified hydrophobic beads.