We describe the first steps to scale-up the free radical dispersion polymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) from the millilitre to the litre scale, utilising supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) as the reaction medium. Our key focus is to develop a reproducible and controlled reactor system that produces well-defined polymer particles with narrow size distribution. Two different approaches to monomer addition were investigated, along with variations of surfactant concentration to consistently achieve control of particle size on the large and small scale. Comparison of scanning electron microscopy images from the 60 mL and 1 L vessel demonstrated that very similar particle sizes and morphologies were obtained at high yield (> 90 %) on the small and the large scale. The impact of the differences between the two vessels and their influence on this well understood reaction was investigated.

我们描述了利用超临界二氧化碳（scCO ₂）将聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）的自由基分散聚合从毫升扩大到升的规模的第一步）作为反应介质。我们的重点是开发可再生且可控的反应器系统，该系统可生产出具有窄尺寸分布的轮廓分明的聚合物颗粒。研究了两种不同的单体添加方法，以及表面活性剂浓度的变化，以始终如一地实现对颗粒大小的控制。来自60 mL和1 L容器的扫描电子显微镜图像的比较表明，无论规模大小，都可以以高收率（> 90％）获得非常相似的粒径和形貌。研究了两个容器之间的差异及其对这种众所周知的反应的影响。