Precipitation Polymerization
“In polymer science, precipitation polymerization is a heterogeneous polymerization process that begins initially as a homogeneous system in the continuous phase, where the monomer and initiator are completely soluble, but upon initiation the formed polymer is insoluble and thus precipitates.”
“After precipitation, the polymerization proceeds by absorption of monomer and initiator into the polymer particles.”
“A distinction should be made between precipitation and dispersion polymerization, due to the similarities. A dispersion polymerization is actually a type of precipitation polymerization, but the difference lies in the fact that precipitation polymerizations give larger and less regular particles, as a result of little or no stabilizer present.”
Recent Journal Articles
Preparation and Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymeric Nanoparticles for Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)
( 4423–4429)Advanced Functional Materials 21 #23 (2011)
Wang et al of the University of South Florida and the VA Hospital, Florida, prepared the nanoparticles y precipitation polymerization using NH2–SLRRSS–CONH2, which is a short peptide from ANP, as a template, methacrylic acid and N-isopropylacrylamide as functional monomers, and bis-acrylamide as a crosslinker. The result is nanoparticles with a high affinity and selectivity for the cardiac hormone atrial natriuretic peptide and can be used as a synthetic antibody for modulating atrial natriuretic peptide - natriuretic peptide receptor A signaling in cancers. (RDC 12/6/2011)