Pore structure and water-swelling behavior of porous resins based on methyl acrylate and different divinylbenzene isomers

Porous resins based on divinylbenzene (DVB) and methyl acrylate (MA) were prepared with m‐DVB (98.3%) or p‐DVB (99.1%) in the presence of toluene as a porogen. The MA/DVB resins thus obtained with a wide range of pore structures were hydrophobic in nature and were swellable by direct contact with water. The behavior of m‐DVB and p‐DVB as a crosslinker in the MA/DVB monomer system was different from that in the styrene (ST)/DVB system and was influenced by the amount of MA in the MA/DVB monomer system. As a result, a larger specific surface area and pore volume were observed for MA/DVB resins derived from p‐DVB than for those derived from m‐DVB, which was opposite to that observed for resins based on DVB and ST. The different behaviors of m‐DVB and p‐DVB in the MA/DVB monomer system also resulted in different swelling abilities of the resins in water. Compared with the MA/DVB resins derived from m‐DVB, the p‐DVB derived resins swelled faster in water and were water‐swellable when the resins had a higher DVB content and, therefore, a stronger hydrophobicity and a larger specific surface area. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 2071–2078, 2005