Novel Macromonomer as a Reactive Stabilizer in the Dispersion Polymerization of Methylmethacrylate

We have synthesized a novel macromonomer of vinyl-terminated bifunctional polyurethane having a molecular weight of 37,000 g/mol and successfully applied it to the dispersion polymerization of methylmethacrylate(MMA). We verified the presence of the vinyl terminal group and the macromonomer grafted onto the poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) block in the PMMA particles by using $^1$H and $\^$13/C NMR spectroscopies. Monodisperse PMMA microspheres that have good uniformity of 1.01 were prepared at 20 wt% macromonomer content; we investigated the characteristics of the PMMA particles in terms of their molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, size of the particles, thermal properties, and glass transition temperature. We have found that the synthesized polyurethane macromonomer is an effective stabilizer.