Stability of β‐galactosidase immobilized on composite microspheres of artemisia seed gum and chitosan

In this work, composite microspheres were prepared by using artemisia seed gum and chitosan as a source. The composite microspheres have activated aldehyde groups by using glutaraldehyde. β‐Galactosidase was covalently bound on these activated microspheres. The properties of the immobilized enzyme were investigated and compared with those of the free enzyme, for which o‐nitrophenol β‐D ‐galactopyranoside (ONPG) was chosen as a substrate. The results showed that the pH and thermal stability of the immobilized β‐galactosidase were higher than those of the soluble one. Apart from these, the Michaelis constant K_m was evaluated for the immobilized β‐galactosidase and the soluble enzyme. The immobilized β‐galactosidase exhibited better environmental adaptability and reusability than the soluble one. POLYM. COMPOS., 29:9–14, 2008. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Magnetic chitosan microspheres: preparation and characterization

In this study, magnetic chitosan microspheres were prepared in a well shaped spherical form with a size range of 100 to 250 μm (size distribution ±15 to ±40 μm, respectively) by the suspension cross-linking technique for use in the application of magnetic carrier technology. The magnetic material (i.e. Fe₃O₄) used in the preparation of the magnetic chitosan microspheres was prepared by precipitation from FeSO₄ and Fe₂(SO₄)₃ solutions in basic medium and then ground to the desired size (i.e. 1–5 μm). The morphological and magnetic properties of the microspheres were characterized by different techniques (i.e. SEM, optical microscopy, magnetometry). The results demonstrated that the stirring rate of the suspension medium and the Fe₃O₄/chitosan ratio are the most effective parameters for the size/size distribution and the magnetic quality of the microspheres, while the chitosan molecular weight (MW) has no significant effect on these properties for the given MW range (i.e. 150 to 650 kDa). The best magnetic quality of the magnetic chitosan microspheres is around 9.1 emu/g microsphere at 10 kG magnetic field intensity.     

α‐Amylase immobilized by Fe3O4/poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) magnetic composite microspheres: Preparation and characterization

Fe₃O₄/poly(styrene‐co‐maleic anhydride) core–shell composite microspheres, suitable for binding enzymes, were prepared using magnetite particles as seeds by copolymerization of styrene and maleic anhydride. The magnetite particles were encapsulated by polyethylene glycol, which improved the affinity between the magnetite particles and the monomers, thus showing that the size of the microspheres, the amount of the surface anhydrides, and the magnetite content in the composite are highly dependent on magnetite particles, comonomer ratio, and dispersion medium used in the polymerization. The composite microspheres, having 0.08–0.8 μm diameter and containing 100–800 μg magnetite/g microspheres and 0–18 mmol surface‐anhydride groups/g microsphere, were obtained. Free α‐amylase was immobilized on the microspheres containing reactive surface‐anhydride groups by covalent binding. The effects of immobilization on the properties of the immobilized α‐amylase [magnetic immobilized enzyme (MIE)] were studied. The activity of MIE and protein binding capacity reached 113,800 U and 544.3 mg/g dry microspheres, respectively. The activity recovery was 47.2%. The MIE had higher optimum temperature and pH compared with those of free α‐amylase and showed excellent thermal, storage, pH, and operational stability. Furthermore, it can be easily separated in a magnetic field and reused repeatedly. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 328–335, 2005     

Preparation of superparamagnetic immunomicrospheres and application for antibody purification

A novel and effective protocol for the preparation of superparamagnetic immunomicrospheres has been developed. First, micro‐size magnetic poly (methacrylate‐divinylbenzene) (PMA‐DVB) spheres were prepared by a modified suspension polymerization method. The oleic acid coated magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles made by coprecipitation were mixed with monomers of MA, DVB, and initiator benzoyl peroxide (BPO) to form oil in water emulsion droplets with the presence of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA‐1788) as a stabilizer. The polymerization reaction was carried out in a 2‐L beaker equipped with four vertical stainless steel baffleplates by increasing the temperature of the mixture at a controlled rate. The resulting magnetic microspheres are micro‐sized (less than 8μm in diameter) and 80 percent of them are in the size ranging from 1 to 5 μm. Then, they were highly functionalized via ammonolysis reaction with ethylenediamine, and the surface amino‐modified magnetic microspheres were obtained. The morphology and properties of these magnetic microspheres were examined by SEM, TEM, VSM, and FT‐IR. Affinity ligand protein A (ProtA) was covalently immobilized to the amino‐modified magnetic microspheres by the glutaraldehyde method. These ProtA‐immobilized magnetic immunomicrospheres were effective for affinity bioseparation processes, as was demonstrated by the efficient immunoaffinity purification of antibodies IgG2a (22mg per gram of microspheres) from mouse ascites. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2205–2211, 2004     

Preparation of Novel Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-coglycidyl methacrylate)-Grafted Core-Shell Magnetic Chitosan Microspheres and Immobilization of Lactase

Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate)-grafted magnetic chitosan microspheres (HG-MCM) were prepared using reversed-phase suspension polymerization method. The HG-MCM presented a core-shell structure and regular spherical shape with poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) grafted onto the chitosan layer coating the Fe₃O₄ cores. The average diameter of the magnetic microspheres was 10.67 μm, within a narrow size distribution of 6.6–17.4 μm. The saturation magnetization and retentivity of the magnetic microspheres were 7.0033 emu/g and 0.6273 emu/g, respectively. The application of HG-MCM in immobilization of lactase showed that the immobilized enzyme presented higher storage, pH and thermal stability compared to the free enzyme. This indicates that HG-MCM have potential applications in bio-macromolecule immobilization.     

Chitosan microspheres and sponges: Preparation and characterization

In this study, chitosan microspheres and sponges were prepared and characterized for diverse biomedical applications successfully. The chitosan microspheres were obtained with a “suspension crosslinking technique” in the size range of 30–700 μm. The stirring rate of the suspension medium and the chitosan/acetic acid ratio, emulsifier, and crosslinker, that is, the glutaraldehyde concentration in the suspension medium, were evaluated as the effective parameters on the size/size distributions of the microspheres. The microsphere size/size distributions were increased with the decreasing of all effective parameters except the chitosan/acetic acid ratio. In the second part of the study, chitosan sponges were prepared with a solvent‐evaporation technique and sponges were cross‐linked either during the formation or after the formation of sponges by using a cross‐linker, that is, glutaraldehyde. When the sponges were crosslinked during the formation, fibrillar structures were obtained, while the leaflet structures were obtained in the case of crosslinking after the formation of sponges. In the last part of the study, the swelling behavior of both the chitosan microspheres and sponges were evaluated using different amounts of the crosslinker. The swelling ratio was increased in both types of structures, that is, microspheres and sponges, by decreasing the amount of the crosslinker. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1637–1643, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of air‐stable magnetic Fe composites microspheres of narrow size distribution

Air‐stable Fe magnetic nanoparticles entrapped within carbon and porous crosslinked polystyrene microspheres of narrow size distribution were prepared by the following sequential steps: (1) Polystyrene/poly(divinyl benzene) and polystyrene/poly(styrene‐divinyl benzene) uniform micrometer‐sized composite particles were prepared by a single‐step swelling of uniform polystyrene template microspheres dispersed in an aqueous continuous phase with emulsion droplets of dibutyl phthalate containing the monomers divinyl benzene and styrene and the initiator benzoyl peroxide. The monomers within the swollen polystyrene template microspheres were then polymerized by raising the temperature to 73°C; (2) Porous poly (divinyl benzene) and poly(styrene‐divinyl benzene) uniform crosslinked microspheres were prepared by dissolution of the polystyrene template part of the former composite particles; (3) Uniform magnetic poly(divinyl benzene)/Fe and poly(styrene‐divinyl benzene)/Fe composite microspheres were prepared by entrapping Fe(CO)₅ within the porous crosslinked microspheres, by suction of the Fe complex into the dried porous particles, followed by decomposition of the encapsulated Fe(CO)₅ at 200°C in Ar atmosphere; (4) Uniform magnetic air‐stable C/Fe composite microspheres were prepared similarly, apart from changing the decomposition temperature from 200 to 600°C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

交联壳聚糖磁性微球制备及吸附性能研究

采用超声波辅助化学共沉淀法制备纳米Fe3O4,在此基础上选用乳化交联法,以戊二醛为交联剂,壳聚糖为单体包埋磁性纳米颗粒,合成了微米及纳米尺度上具有高吸附性、介质分离的磁性壳聚糖纳米微球(MCTS),并对复合材料的吸附性能进行了讨论。通过将壳聚糖包裹纳米磁性粒子制备成的磁性壳聚糖微球,具有比表面积大、多孔、易回收、可再生等优点,并且该磁性微球稳定性好、吸附性能强,有效地提高了壳聚糖的应用价值,而对于金属废水处理、药物的分离纯化和天然药物有效成分的富集纯化等意义重大。     

Synthesis and characterization of thermosensitive composite microsphere latex

Monodisperse aqueous latex dispersions, prepared from mixtures of styrene, N‐isopropylacrylamide, and N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide, were characterized. Thermosensitive composite microspheres with diameters greater than 1.0 μm, consisting of a polystyrene core and a poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) shell, were prepared. The morphology of the composite microspheres was observed with transmission electron microscopy, and the particle size of the composite microspheres was estimated with dynamic light scattering. The thermosensitive properties of the composite microspheres were evaluated via the hydrodynamic size of the composite microspheres. The particle size of the composite microspheres decreased with increasing temperature. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 824–828, 2005     

Composite membranes of chitosan and titania‐coated carbon nanotubes as promising materials for new proton‐exchange membranes

Titania‐coated carbon nanotubes (TCNTs) were obtained by a simple sol–gel method. Then chitosan/TCNT (CS/TCNT) composite membranes were prepared by stirring chitosan/acetic acid and a TCNT/ethanol suspension. The morphology, thermal and oxidative stabilities, water uptake and proton conductivity, and mechanical properties of CS/TCNT composite membranes were investigated. The CNTs coated with an insulated and hydrophilic titania layer eliminated the risk of electronic short‐circuiting. Moreover, the titania layer enhanced the interaction between TCNTs and chitosan to ensure the homogenous dispersion of TCNTs in the chitosan matrix. The water uptake of CS/TCNT composite membranes was reduced owing to the decrease of the effective number of the ? NH₂ functional groups of chitosan. However, the CS/TCNT composite membranes exhibited better performance than a pure CS membrane in thermal and oxidative stability, proton conductivity, and mechanical properties. These results suggest that CS/TCNT composite membranes are promising materials for new proton‐exchange membranes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43365.     

Factors influencing magnetic polymer microspheres prepared by dispersion polymerization

Magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) was prepared by a coprecipitation method. Core–shell composite magnetic polymer microspheres with carboxyl groups were synthesized by the dispersion polymerization of styrene and acrylic acid in the presence of magnetic oxide, and dibenzoyl peroxide was used as an initiator. The synthesized magnetic polymer microspheres were characterized with X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and so forth. The results indicated that the product was single‐phase Fe₃O₄, and its average size was about 10 nm. The configuration of the microspheres, which contained carboxyl groups, was spherical, and the average size was about 2 μm. The results of vibrating sample magnetometry tests showed that the magnetic powders produced by different surfactants had different saturation magnetizations. When poly(ethylene glycol) with a weight‐average molecular weight of 4000 was used as a surfactant, the saturation magnetization of the samples reached 69.2 emu/g. The factors that affected the shape, magnetism, size, and distribution of the microspheres were also studied. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using amino‐modified Fe3O4–SiO2–chitosan magnetic microspheres with high acid resistance and adsorption capacity

A novel, bioadsorbent material of polyethylenimine‐modified magnetic chitosan microspheres enwrapping magnetic silica nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄–SiO₂–CTS‐PEI) was prepared under relatively mild conditions. The characterization results indicated that the adsorbent exhibited high acid resistance and magnetic responsiveness. The Fe₃O₄ loss of the adsorbent was measured as 0.09% after immersion in pH 2.0 water for 24 h, and the saturated magnetization was 11.7 emu/g. The introduction of PEI obviously improved the adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) onto the adsorbent by approximately 2.5 times. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics preferably fit the Langmuir model and the pseudo‐second‐order model. The maximum adsorption capacity was determined as 236.4 mg/g at 25°C, which was much improved compared to other magnetic chitosan materials, and the equilibrium was reached within 60 to 120 min. The obtained thermodynamic parameters revealed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Furthermore, the Cr(VI)‐adsorbed adsorbent could be effectively regenerated using a 0.1 mol/L NaOH solution, and the adsorbent showed a good reusability. Due to the properties of good acid resistance, strong magnetic responsiveness, high adsorption capacity, and relatively rapid adsorption rate, the Fe₃O₄–SiO₂–CTS‐PEI microspheres have a potential use in Cr(VI) removal from acidic wastewater. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43078.     

Preparation of surface‐modified,micrometer‐sized carboxymethyl chitosan drug‐loaded microspheres

Drug‐loaded microspheres have attracted much attention in embolization therapy for liver cancer in recent years. Carboxymethyl chitosan has obvious advantages for biomedical applications because of its exceptional biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, surface‐modified carboxymethyl chitosan microspheres were prepared by the crosslinking reactions of carboxymethyl chitosan in a reverse suspension system with poly(ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether) (PEGDE) as the crosslinking agent; this was followed by the grafting polymerization of 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl propane sulfonic acid on the surface of the microspheres. The microspheres showed regular spherical shapes with size distributions ranging from 300 to 600 μm. Ion‐exchange groups (? COOH, ? SO₃H) were introduced into the microspheres; these groups could load doxorubicin with a loading rate as high as 34.6% in 24 h. This was an increase of 49.8% compared to that of the pure carboxymethyl chitosan microspheres. Additionally, the microspheres possessed large network structures because macromolecular PEGDE was used as the crosslinking agent. The drug‐release profile showed that the surface‐modified microspheres displayed a sustained‐release manner compared with the nonmodified microspheres in phosphate‐buffered saline. These microspheres have promising applications as drug‐loaded arterial embolization agents for the interventional treatment of tumors. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45731.     

Ag@AgCl‐TiO2/organic rectorite/quaternized chitosan microspheres: An efficient and environmental photocatalyst

A plasmonic composite, Ag@AgCl‐TiO₂/OREC, was prepared by sol–gel combing calcination technique, precipitation, and photoreduction method. Then, Ag@AgCl‐TiO₂/OREC/QCS composite microspheres were fabricated by an emulsification/chemical crosslinking method using quaternized chitosan and Ag@AgCl‐TiO₂/OREC as scaffolds materials, potassium persulphate as initiator and N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide as crosslinker. The resulting materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), UV‐visible diffused reflectance spectra (UV–vis DRS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM showed that the Ag@AgCl‐TiO₂/OREC/QCS composite microspheres had loose, rough surface, and spherical shape, with an average diameter of 15–45 μm. The Ag@AgCl‐TiO₂/OREC/QCS composite microspheres present good adsorption–photocatalytic activities in the degradation of methylene orange (MO) and 92.1% MO was degraded after irradiation for 180 min. The high photocatalysis activity was attributed to the combined results of the relative high adsorption capacity, loose structure, and the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles formed on the surface of AgCl. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44601.     

Preparation and characteristics of Tryptophan‐imprinted Fe3O4/P(TRIM) composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility by inverse emulsion–suspension polymerization

Tryptophan‐imprinted Fe₃O₄/P(TRIM) composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility (MS‐SMIPs) were prepared by inverse emulsion–suspension polymerization, according to the principle of molecular imprinting technique, using magnetite Fe₃O₄ particles as magnetically susceptible component, methacrylic acid (MAA) and acrylamide (AM) as functional monomers, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) as polymeric matrix components, and hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HEC) as dispersant. The external morphology and the inner structure of MS‐SMIPs were observed by SEM. SEM photographs showed that the resulting MS‐SMIPs were regularly spherical in external morphology and had a large quantity of spherical microvoids inside. The effects of the amount of Fe₃O₄ on particle size and morphology of MS‐SMIPs were investigated in detail. The results indicated that the amount of Fe₃O₄ affected particle size distribution and morphology of MS‐SMIPs obviously. The magnetic characteristics of MS‐SMIPs were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer, and the results showed that the resulting MS‐SMIPs had a certain magnetic response to external magnetic fields. Adsorption properties, molecular recognition selectivity, and regeneration recognition selectivity of MS‐SMIPs were investigated using tyrosine and phenylalanine as control molecules, and characterized by high performance liquid chromatography. It was shown that the resulting MS‐SMIPs exhibited a good recognition selectivity for tryptophan, and the relative separation factor (β) was 2.75, and MS‐SMIPs also exhibited higher regeneration recognition selectivity, and the separation factor was 1.83 and 1.80 in first regeneration and second regeneration, respectively. The effect of the amount of functional monomers on molecular recognition selectivity was investigated, and the mechanism of imprinting and recognition was analyzed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3241–3250, 2006     

Controlled preparation of Fe3O4/P (St-MA) magnetic composite microspheres by DPE method

In this work, controlled radical polymerization based on 1, 1-diphenylethylene (DPE method) was used to prepare magnetic composite microspheres. By this method, Fe₃O₄/P (St-MA) magnetic composite microspheres were prepared via copolymerization of styrene (St) and maleic anhydride (MA) using DPE as radical control agent in the presence of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The structure and properties of the magnetic composite microspheres obtained were characterized by IR, ¹H-NMR, SEC-MALLS, TEM, TGA, VSM, DLS and other instruments. It was found that the DPE method allows the controlled preparation of magnetic composite microspheres, and Fe₃O₄/ P(St-MA) microspheres possess perfect sphere-shaped morphology, homogeneous particle size, carboxylic surface, superparamagnetism with a saturation magnetization of 14.704 emu/g, and magnetic content with a value of 25%.     

Preparation of magnetic poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) microspheres featuring monodispersity and controllable particle size using a microchannel device

Poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres prepared using a traditional solvent evaporation or double emulsification method are usually polydisperse with an uncontrollable particle size distribution, which brings about poor application performance. In our research, monodisperse magnetic PLGA microspheres were prepared using a microchannel device based on a water‐in‐oil‐in‐water composite emulsion. The composite emulsion was formed by injecting a dichloromethane–gelatin water‐in‐oil emulsion into a microchannel together with an external water phase, i.e. poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aqueous solution. Mean particle size control of the microspheres was executed using the osmotic pressure difference between internal and external aqueous phases caused by regulating NaCl concentration in PVA aqueous phase. It is found that monodisperse magnetic PLGA microspheres with high magnetic responsiveness can be successfully prepared combining the microchannel device with composite emulsion method. Mean particle size of the microspheres with coefficient of variation value below 4.72% is controllable from 123 to 203 µm depending on the osmotic pressure. The resulting samples have pyknotic and smooth surfaces, as well as spherical appearance. These monodisperse magnetic PLGA microspheres with good superparamagnetism and magnetic mobility have potential use as drug carriers for uniform release and magnetic targeting hyperthermia in biological fields. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and characterization of superparamagnetic chitosan microspheres: Application as a support for the immobilization of tyrosinase

Superparamagnetic chitosan microspheres were prepared by a water‐in‐oil suspension‐crosslinking technique. To this end, magnetite particles were dispersed in a chitosan solution in acetic acid. The dispersion was added to toluene containing Span 20 as a surfactant with stirring. Chitosan solution droplets were hardened with glutaraldehyde. The magnetic chitosan microspheres obtained were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, and vibrational magnetometry. The microspheres had a wide size distribution, ranging from 43 ± 25 to 255 ± 55 μm, that depended on the reaction conditions. The mean particle size decreased with an increase in the concentration of Span 20 or the amount of glutaraldehyde and with the addition of NaCl. However, a major size reduction was achieved by an increase in the stirring rate. Tyrosinase was immobilized on the microspheres. The immobilized enzyme retained 70% of its activity, as determined by the capacity to degrade phenolic compounds. The immobilized tyrosinase resulted in greater stability than the free enzyme. In addition, the enzyme maintained 65% of its phenol oxidation activity after 10 cycles of reuse. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 651–657, 2005     

Protein‐imprinted soft‐wet gel composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility. II. Characteristics

Protein‐imprinted soft‐gel composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility (MS‐PIGMs) were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization using Fe₃O₄ particles as magnetically susceptible component and bovine serum albumin and lysozyme (Lyz) as templates, respectively. The average content of magnetically susceptible component (Fe₃O₄) inside MS‐PIGMs was determined using thermogravimetric analyzer, and the magnetic characteristics of MS‐PIGMs were measured by vibrating sample magnetometer. The results showed that the resulting MS‐PIGMs had a certain magnetic response to external magnetic fields, and their average content of Fe₃O₄ was 2.08%. Their recognition specificity was investigated using BSA and Lyz as both templates and control molecules and characterized by high‐performance liquid chromatography, and the mechanism of imprinting and recognition was analyzed. It was shown that the resulting BSA imprinted soft‐gel composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility (BSA‐PIGMs) and Lyz imprinted soft‐gel composite microspheres with magnetic susceptibility (Lyz‐PIGMs). All exhibited good recognition selectivity for their templates, and the relative separation factor (β) was 4.75 and 5.88, respectively. The recognition selectivity of MS‐PIGMs to their templates depended mainly on the synergic action of a large quantity of hydrogen binding being caused by complementation and very close contact of outer surface of proteins with inner surface of “imprinting cavities.” © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Preparation of monodisperse magnetic polystyrene microspheres and its surface chemical modification

Monodisperse magnetic polystyrene (PS) microspheres were prepared in the presence of PS seed particles and styrene‐based magnetic colloid by the method of magnetic colloid swelling polymerization. The PS seed particles were prepared in advance by soap‐free emulsion polymerization. Styrene‐based magnetic colloid was used for swelling the PS seed particles in the magnetic colloid swelling polymerization process. After polymerization, functional amino groups were introduced onto the surface of the magnetic PS microspheres by surface Friedel‐Crafts acylation reaction. The morphology, size distribution, and magnetic properties of magnetic PS microspheres were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. SEM showed that the magnetic PS microspheres had an average size of 1078 nm with a narrow size distribution. VSM showed that the magnetic PS microspheres were superparamagnetic, and saturation magnetization was found to be 5.714 emu/g. The concentration of functional amino groups on the surface of magnetic PS microspheres was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy and UV−Vis spectroscopy, and the concentration of amino groups was found to be 0.168 mmol/g. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011