Model-Based Optimization of Microgel Synthesis in the μm Size Range

Microgels are functional polymer
colloids with diverse applications,
for example, in medicine, engineering, or agriculture. Some applications
require
large microgels in the size range of μm, which could previously
only be synthesized using microfluidics or a synthesis procedure involving
a fed-batch reaction with a temperature ramp. We use dynamic optimization
to determine a simpler synthesis recipe that allows us to synthesize
microgels in the μm range using a batch procedure. First, a
sensitivity analysis shows that the microgel size is sensitive to
the initial concentration of initiator and the reactor temperature.
Second, the dynamic optimization yields a batch recipe that provides
microgels of the desired μm size range. The recipe uses a low
initial initiator concentration and a low reactor temperature. The
respective recipe is validated experimentally; model simulation results
and experimental measurements of the hydrodynamic diameter show good
agreement.