Styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers were synthesized by modified suspension polymerization in presence of diluents. In the copolymers synthesis, the following reaction parameters were varied: diluent type, dilution degree and divinylbenzene content. The copolymers obtained as spherical particles with average diameter around 10 µm. were characterized by their porosity in dry state and by their swelling properties. The copolymers were applied as packing material of size exclusion chromatography columns. The increase of dilution degree in the copolymer synthesis increased the chromatography exclusion limit, but the decrease of diluent-copolymer affinity provoked a more accentuated effect on that parameter.
Styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers; swelling properties; size exclusion chromatography
