Seeded suspension copolymerization or a one-stage copolymerization was used to synthesize acrylate core/shell imbiber beads. A two-stage polymerization technique was used for seeded suspension polymerization. The seed particles for poly(methyl acrylate) or poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate) were synthesized first in a mixed solvent of toluene/isooctane containing the ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinking agent. These beads were swollen in styrene-EGDMA-BPO (benzoyl peroxide) and then polymerized in the aqueous phase to produce the polystyrene (PS) shell. The one-stage copolymerization was carried out in toluene/isooctane containing methyl methacrylate (MMA), styrene (St), EGDMA, and BPO at 75degreesC for 10 h to give a core/shell copolymer of St-MMA morphology. The appearance of core/shell imbiber beads prepared from these two techniques varied from monomer to monomer. This article describes the preparation, characterization, and application of the core/shell beads for organic solvent absorption/desorption.