Determination of the Quantitative Relationships between the Synthesis Conditions of Macroporous Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) Microparticles and the Characteristics of Their Behavior as Adsorbents Using Bovine Serum Albumin as a Model Macromolecule

The adsorption properties of macroporous polymeric microparticles are dependent on their porous structure, which, in turn, is dependent on the synthesis conditions of the adsorbent material. In the present work, we have investigated whether it is feasible to find a quantitative relationship between the synthesis conditions of macroporous poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) adsorbent microparticles and their behavior in the adsorption of a protein of intermediate size. For this purpose, 10 types of such microparticles were synthesized from reactive mixtures with different divinylbenzene (cross-linker) and n-heptane (diluent) contents, and the equilibrium isotherms and adsorption kinetics of a model protein (the bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein) were studied. The results allowed us to determine some quantitative relationships that, within the limits of this research, permit the synthesis of adsorbents with predetermined adsorption properties. Thus, the model obtained, relating the synthesis conditions of the adsorbents to the adsorption equilibrium, reveals that the higher the divinylbenzene concentration and the higher the diluent content, the higher the maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbents for this protein. With regard to adsorption kinetics, the fastest adsorption was achieved with the lowest divinylbenzene concentration and the highest diluent concentration.