Preparation of interconnected pickering polymerized high internal phase emulsions by arrested coalescence

Abstract

Emulsion templating is a method that enables the production of highly porous and interconnected polymer foams called polymerized high internal phase emulsions (PolyHIPEs). Since emulsions are inherently unstable systems, they can be stabilized either by surfactants or by particles (Pickering HIPEs). Surfactant-stabilized HIPEs form materials with an interconnected porous structure, while Pickering HIPEs typically form closed pore materials. In this study, we describe a system that uses submicrometer polymer particles to stabilize the emulsions. Polymers fabricated from these Pickering emulsions exhibit, unlike traditional Pickering emulsions, highly interconnected large pore structures, and we related these structures to arrested coalescence. We describe in detail the morphological properties of this system and their dependence on different production parameters. This production method might provide an interesting alternative to poly-surfactant-stabilized-HIPEs, in particular where the application necessitates large pore structures.