Emulsion-templating through polymerization within the external phase of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) was used to synthesize highly porous polymer monoliths termed "polyHIPEs". The highly interconnected porous structures of these polyHIPEs usually consist of voids on the order of tens of micrometers and interconnecting holes on the order of micrometers. A hierarchical porous structure can be advantageous since micropores can maximize surface area, mesopores can support fast mass transport, and macropores can minimize diffusion distances. Nano-scale porosity was introduced into polyHIPEs using two routes. In one route, solvent-induced phase separation during polymerization was used to produce a porous wall structure through the assembly of phase-separated microgels in both hydrophobic and hydrophilic polyHIPEs. In a different route, hypercrosslinking a swollen polyHIPE following polymerization generated methylene links between neighbouring aromatic rings. The effects of the synthesis parameters and of the hypercrosslinking parameters were studied. Under optimal conditions, hypercrosslinking produced specific surface areas of 1650 m<sup>2</sup>/g from polyHIPEs that originally had single-digit specific surface areas.

Hierarchical porosity in emulsion-templated polymers

249th National Meeting (2015)

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