Stabilized polymer beads and method of preparation

• US 7,163,998 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Qiao, Tiecheng A., Leon, Jeffrey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Duc
• Application Number:
  US10/658,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20050054815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 528/373, 528/391, 524/504, 524/609, 525/63, 525/330.9, 525/353, 525/535
• US Class Current: 528/391
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 257/02 on to polymers of styrene or alkyl-substituted styrenes
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 265/04 on to polymers of esters
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2800/20 as weight or mass percentages
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2810/30 leading to the formation or introduction of aliphatic or alicyclic unsaturated groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/34 Introducing sulfur atoms or sulfur-containing groups
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/02 Organic macromolecular compounds, natural resins, waxes or and bituminous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 51/003 grafted on to macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving unsaturated carbon-to-carbon bonds C08L51/04, C08L51/06 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a polymer particles comprising a polymer bead stabilized by vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers grafted to the surface of the bead, as well as a particle composition comprising monodisperse polymer beads stabilized by vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers, wherein the vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers are grafted to the surfaces of the beads. The invention also includes a method of preparing monodisperse polymer particles comprising preparing a homogeneous solution of an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable monomer, an initiator, and a polymeric stabilizer, wherein the polymeric stabilizer consists of repetitive units, wherein the repetitive units comprise latent vinylsulfonyl moiety, polymerizing the homogeneous solution, and converting the latent vinylsulfonyl moiety to vinylsulfonyl moieties.

Claims

1. A particle composition comprising monodisperse polymer beads stabilized by vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers, wherein said vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers are grafted to the external surfaces of said beads and, wherein said vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymer is soluble in water, water-miscible solvents, or a mixture thereof, wherein said vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymer comprises vinylsulfonyl or vinylsulfonyl precursor moieties grafted to the surface of said polymer bead, wherein said vinylsulfonyl-functionalized polymers are represented by Formula I:

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said monodisperse polymer particles comprise a coefficient of variation in the particle diameter of less than 20%.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein said monodisperse polymer particles comprise a coefficient of variation in the particle diameter of less than 15%.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein said monodisperse polymer particles comprise a coefficient of variation in the particle diameter of less than 10%.

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein said polymer bead comprises a polymer made from at least one monomer containing α

,β

-ethylenic unsaturation.

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein polymer bead comprises a polymer made from at least one monomer comprising a monomer having limited solubility in water and wherein said polymer bead further comprises less than 10% of the total weight of the polymerizeable solids, of one or more water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomers.

7. The composition of claim 1 wherein G represents nonionic or ionic monomers.

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein G represents the polymerized form of acrylamide, sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methanepropionate, sulfopropyl acrylate and methacrylate salts, or sodium styrenesulfonate.

9. The composition of claim 1 wherein H represents the polymerized form of a vinylsulfone or vinylsulfone precursor unit.

10. The composition of claim 1 wherein said “

H”

represents groups represented by Formula II;

11. The composition of claim 10 wherein X₁ represents —

S₂O₃⁻

, —

SO₄⁻

, —

Cl, —

Br, —

I, quaternary ammonium, pyridinium, and —

CN, and sulfonate esters.

12. The composition of claim 1 wherein further comprising a bioaffinity tag bound to the surface of said bead.

13. The composition of claim 12 wherein said bioaffinity tag comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of nucleic acids, antibodies, proteins, polysaccharides. oligonucleotides, peptide nucleic acid (PNA), peptides, antibodies, antigens, enzymes, proteins, and synthetic molecules having biological activities.