Synthesized polymerizable photosensitive monomer diazo naphthoquinone sulfonate hydroxyethyl methacrylate ether (DNQMA) was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and 1H NMR. Photosensitive polymeric microspheres were prepared via soap-free emulsion polymerization method. UV/Vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the photosensitive polymeric microspheres. The DLS results demonstrated that the size of the photosensitive microspheres in aqueous dispersion increased at first and then reached saturation with the increasing irradiation time. This trend was in good accordance with that illustrated in the UV/Vis spectra. The SEM images showed that the morphology of the photosensitive microspheres was destroyed severely, and almost lose their structure after UV light irradiation.

Key words: diazo naphthoquinone, photosensitive, polymeric microsphere, morphology