Combat trauma faced by warfighters is often complicated by limited access to advanced care, necessitating the development of novel materials that improve point-of-injury care. The preparation of porous materials via HIPE templating has proven to be a facile and robust method for development of functional materials including those utilized for medical/biomaterial applications. Here, hydrophilic polymer foams composed of cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol)s and polyacrylates were fabricated via HIPE templating and investigated as potential highly absorbent hydrogel wound contact materials with well-defined porosity. These porous foams exhibited the characteristic HIPE microstructure and could be modified via incorporation of kaolin particle or chitosan microspheres. The foams demonstrated high buffer uptake, mechanical toughness, low cytotoxicity, hemostatic activity, the ability to deliver active antibiotics and 3D-printing potential. Rational design of hydrophilic porous foams via HIPE templating is easily performed and demonstrates great promise for the development of bandage materials for severe trauma.

Multifunctional porous polyHIPE foams for application in military medicine and force protection

256th National Meeting (2018)

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