Preparation of monodisperse fluorescent core–shell polymer microspheres with functional groups in the shell layer by two‐stage distillation–precipitation polymerization

Monodisperse crosslinked core–shell micrometer‐sized microspheres bearing a brightly blue fluorescent dye, carbazole, and containing various functional groups in the shell layers were prepared by a two‐stage distillation–precipitation polymerization in acetonitrile in the absence of any stabilizer. Commercial divinylbenzene (DVB), containing 80 vol.% of DVB, was polymerized by distillation–precipitation in acetonitrile without any stabilizer using 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator for the first stage of polymerization which resulted in monodisperse polyDVB microspheres used as the core. Several functional monomers, including 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile together with N‐vinylcarbazole blue fluorescent comonomer, were incorporated into the shell layers with AIBN as initiator during the second stage of polymerization. The resultant core–shell polymer microspheres were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry