[14] Poly(vinylpyridine) microspheres

This chapter discusses poly(vinylpyridine) copolymer microbeads. Formation of microbeads from vinylpyridine has a number of advantages over other monomers. The major advantage is control over size and distribution. Vinylpyridine microbeads also have the advantage of being able to incorporate metals through complexing with its aromatic nitrogen. The ring itself can undergo chemical modification to introduce other functional groups, for example, amines. The range of size and chemical functionality with which vinylpyridine may be formed into microbeads permit a wide spectrum of applications which include instrument calibration standards, cell labeling and separation immunoassays, and catalytic and enzyme supports. Poly(vinylpyridine) microbeads may also act as enzyme supports or biological catalysts. Poly(vinylpyridine) polymers are conjugated to trypsin and are found to have activity toward the model substrate (sodium) benzoylarginine ethyl ester close to that of soluble trypsin.