Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) Microspheres with Polystyrene Brushes Containing Trimercaptotriazine Obtained from Surface Initiation with Bromoacetyl and Chloromethyl Groups

In this work, a novel crosslinked poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) microspheres containing polystyrene (PS) brushes were produced by combining surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) and functionalization with trimercaptotriazine (TMT) groups. Two different surface initiators were used: bromoacetyl and chloromethyl groups, followed by functionalization with TMT groups via nucleophilic substitution. The resins were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and surface analysis by N2 adsorption. The FTIR and TGA results confirmed the efficiency of the chemical modifications and increased the thermal stability of the modified resins. The modified microspheres with sizes ranging from 100 to 250 μm maintained their spherical shape and increased pore volume and size. Therefore, the resins produced have the potential for applications that require high adsorption efficiency and chemical functionality, such as in the purification of pharmaceutical compounds and removal of potentially toxic metals.