ABSTRACT
Brigitte Skalsky and Hans-Ulrich Petereit Research and Development Application Technology, Degussa Pharma Polymers,
INTRODUCTION
History of Poly(meth)acrylate Applications
More than 70 years ago, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was invented as a crystal-clear, unbreakable organic glass of outstanding quality. With the trademark Plexiglas®, it achieved worldwide recognition as a unique synthetic material and a symbol of technical progress. The excellent biocompatibility of PMMA was detected early and it was used for artificial limbs and implants. PMMA is also well tolerated by the skin and the mucosa, so that dental prostheses and contact lenses made of PMMA are used even today. Many medical tools that come into direct contact with blood are made from PMMA or similar copolymers. Macroporous oxirane acrylic beads, commercialized under the trade name Eupergit®, gained significant importance in chemical and medical applications. Enzymes covalently immobilized on Eupergit serve as highly stable, recyclable catalysts in industrial biotransformation (1). Since the polymer does not activate the coagulation of blood, it is also used as an adsorbent for blood purification in extracorporeal therapy (2). Specialty stationary phases for chromatographic separation of biomolecules were developed from Eupergit (3).
