Effect of Interfacial Rheology on the Properties of Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsions

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) can be created when the volume fraction of dispersed phase exceeds 74%. Porous polymer materials can be produced through HIPE-templating approach. Polymerized high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) are formed by polymerization of the continuous phase of HIPEs that contains the organic monomers and subsequent extraction of the dispersed phase. The porous interconnected structure of polyHIPE is achieved through the formation of small holes (also known as windows) on the polymer wall between droplets. The polyHIPEs can be used as adsorbents, ion-exchange resins, separation membranes, and scaffolds in tissue engineering due to their high porosity and low density. In order to meet the requirements of the specific applications, strategies to control the pore size and window size of the polyHIPEs are necessary to be investigated. In this study, different surfactant systems and mixing methods are employed to prepare the polyHIPEs with different pore and window sizes. We also study the effect of interfacial rheological properties of different surfactant systems at the interface of the aqueous and oil phases on the morphology, and thus, mechanical properties of final polyHIPEs.