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US 2002/0172716 A1Published application
Polymeric microspheres
AssigneeTufts University
InventorsDavid R. Walt, Tarun K. Mandal, Michael S. Fleming
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Abstract
The invention features core-shell microsphere compositions, hollow polymeric microspheres, and methods for making the microspheres. The microspheres are characterized as having a polymeric shell with consistent shell thickness.
Claims60
A hollow microsphere comprising a polymeric shell, wherein the thickness of said shell varies less than 10%.
A method for preparing a hollow microsphere, comprising:
- providing a substrate comprising a plurality of hydroxyl groups;
- attaching an initiator agent to said hydroxyl groups to form attached initiator agents;
- reacting the attached initiator agents with a polymerizable unit under living polymerization conditions to form a polymer shell over said substrate, said polymerization being confined to a surface of said substrate;
- and
- exposing said substrate to an etching agent for a time sufficient to allow for removal of said substrate from said polymeric shell to form a hollow microsphere.
2 more elements
A method for preparing a hollow microsphere, comprising:
- providing a microsphere substrate;
- contacting said microsphere substrate with a polymer nanosphere to yield a colloidal assembly;
- heating said assembly to yield a core-shell composite;
- and
- exposing said composite to an etching agent for a time sufficient to allow for removal of said core from said shell to form a hollow microsphere.
2 more elements
A method for preparing a core-shell composition, comprising:
- providing a microsphere substrate;
- contacting said microsphere substrate with a polymer nanosphere to yield a colloidal assembly;
- and
- heating said assembly to yield a core-shell composition.
1 more element
A core-shell composition, wherein the thickness of said shell varies less than 10%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.