Emulsion-templating through polymerization within the external phase of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) was used to synthesize highly porous monoliths termed "polyHIPEs" with stimulus-responsive behaviour. Highly porous hydrogel polyHIPEs were synthesized within oil-in-water HIPEs.  PolyHIPEs from copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) exhibited pH-sensitive and salt concentration sensitive water uptake. The water uptake mechanism changed from Fickian to anomalous as the pH increased, with a maximum equilibrium water uptake of 1800 %. The dynamic and equilibrium water uptake decreased with increasing salt concentration. PolyHIPE copolymers of HEMA and N-isopropylacrylamide (NiPAAm) exhibited a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) consistent with PNiPAAm behaviour. Highly porous temperature-sensitive shape-memory (SM) polyHIPEs were synthesized within water-in-oil HIPEs based on acrylates and methacrylates with crystallizable side-chains. The SM polyHIPEs exhibited fixity ratios of 1.0 for compressive strains of 70 % and relatively high recovery ratios.

Responsive porous polymers through emulsion-templating

249th National Meeting (2015)

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