An emulsion-templated porous polymer, a polyHIPE (PH), is typically synthesized through polymerization within the external phase of a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) containing more than 74% internal phase. Typically, emulsion templating generates high-porosity, highly interconnected voids, ranging in size from a few micrometers to hundreds of micrometers. Originally, porous, hydrophobic, crosslinked polymers were synthesized within surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil HIPEs using free radical polymerization. Now, myriad porous polymer systems are being designed using the wide variety of emulsion templating approaches currently available. The advantages of emulsion-templated porous polymers include: structures through which liquids can be pumped; rapid absorption of large quantities of liquids through capillary action; the facility with which specific shapes and sizes can be produced; the availability of abundant surface functionalization routes; and the wide-ranging design flexibility and versatility within a relatively simplistic synthesis platform. Recent advances in emulsion-templated polymers include innovations in the emulsion stabilization strategy, the polymerization chemistry, the nature of the monomers, the crosslinking strategy, the macromolecular structure, the porous architecture, and the functionality. The resulting novel emulsion-templated polymer systems include: hydrophilic-hydrophobic bicontinuous polymers, shape-memory polymers, stimulus-response polymers, superabsorbent polymers, contaminant-absorbing polymers, polymers with hierarchical porosities, polymer precursors for microporous carbons, and even, polymers for droplet encapsulation.

Accessing innovative porous polymers through emulsion templating

255th National Meeting (2018)

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