Research

PolyHIPEs: High-Porosity Polymers through Emulsion Templating

Porous polymers are essential for catalysis, chromatography, separation, absorption, ion exchange, insulation, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and energy damping applications, to name but a few. PolyHIPEs (PHs) are novel, high-porosity polymer monoliths with unique porous structures that are typically templated within water-in-oil (w/o) high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) and synthesized using free radical polymerization. These w/o HIPEs typically consist of an external (continuous) phase (monomers, crosslinking comonomers, and emulsifier) and from 74 % to over 90 % internal (dispersed) phase (water and a stabilizing salt). The internal phase can be removed through holes within the thin polymer film that surrounds the discrete internal phase droplets, leaving a highly interconnected, high-porosity, void structure (average diameters range from 10 to 100 µm). Similarly, Hydrogel PHs (HG-PHs) are novel, high-porosity hydrogel monoliths with unique porous structures that are typically templated within oil-in-water (o/w) HIPEs and synthesized using free radical polymerization. These o/w HIPEs typically consist of an external (continuous) phase (water, monomers, crosslinking comonomers, and emulsifier) and from an internal (dispersed) phase (organic liquid). The advantages of PHs and HG-PHs include their low densities (as low as 0.03 g/cm3), their ability to absorb large amounts of liquid (typically 9 g/g), and their flow-through capabilities.

The phase compositions in a typical w/o HIPE and in a typical o/w HIPE picture
The phase compositions in a typical w/o HIPE and in a typical o/w HIPE.
A schematic illustration of a typical PH synthesis within a w/o HIPE Picture
A schematic illustration of a typical PH synthesis within a w/o HIPE.

 

A schematic illustration of a typical PH synthesis within a w/o HIPE Picture
A schematic illustration of a typical PH synthesis within a w/o HIPE.

 

Typical, highly interconnected, PH structure and a typical HG-PH structure. (90 % internal phase, styrene/divinylbenzene = 9/1) picture
Typical, highly interconnected, PH structure and a typical HG-PH structure.
(90 % internal phase, styrene/divinylbenzene = 9/1).

 

Current Research

  • Emulsion-templated Porous Polymers
  • Emulsion-templated Polymers for Encapsulation
  • Thermal Energy Storage and Release
  • Superabsorbents
  • Broad-spectrum Absorbents
  • Adsorbents for Water Decontamination
  • Porous Polymers and Carbons from Renewable Resources
  • Highly Robust Hydrogels
  • Biodegradable Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
  • Hierarchical Porosity in Polymers and Carbons
  • Bicontinuous Hydrogels / Hydrophobic Polymers for Controlled Release
  • Shape Memory Polymers and Hydrogels
  • Stimulus-response Polymers: Temperature, pH, Salinity
  • Zwitterionic Hydrogels and Anti-polyelectrolyte Behaviour
  • Highly Porous Simultaneous Interpenetrating Polymer Networks
  • Nanoparticle and Block Copolymer Stabilization for Emulsion Templating
  • Step-growth and Controlled Radical Polymerizations for Emulsion Templating

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“Encapsulating an organic phase change material within emulsion-templated poly(urethane urea)s”___________________________________________________________________________

“Robust, highly porous hydrogels templated within emulsions stabilized using a reactive, crosslinking triblock copolymer”___________________________________________________________________________

“Highly porous, emulsion-templated, zwitterionic hydrogels: amplified and accelerated uptakes with enhanced environmental sensitivity”___________________________________________________________________________

“Microphase-Separated Macroporous Polymers from an Emulsion-Templated Reactive Triblock Copolymer”___________________________________________________________________________

“Hydrogels through emulsion templating: sequential polymerization and double networks”___________________________________________________________________________

“Hierarchically porous carbons from an emulsion-templated, urea-based deep eutectic”___________________________________________________________________________

“Doubly-crosslinked, emulsion-templated hydrogels through reversible metal coordination”___________________________________________________________________________

“Emulsion-templated Polymers: Contemporary Contemplations”___________________________________________________________________________

“Superabsorbent, High Porosity, PAMPS-Based Hydrogels through Emulsion Templating”___________________________________________________________________________

“High Porosity, Responsive Hydrogel Copolymers from Emulsion Templating”___________________________________________________________________________

“Hydrogel-filled, Semi-crystalline, Nanoparticle-crosslinked, Porous Polymers from Emulsion Templating: Structure, Properties, and Shape Memory”___________________________________________________________________________

“Carbons with a Hierarchical Porous Structure through Pyrolysis of Hypercrosslinked Emulsion-templated Polymers”___________________________________________________________________________

 “PolyHIPEs: Recent advances in emulsion-templated porous polymers”___________________________________________________________________________

“Emulsion-templated Porous Polymers: A Retrospective Perspective”___________________________________________________________________________

“Carbon Nanotubes in Emulsion-templated Porous Polymers: Polymer Nanoparticles, Sulfonation, and Conductivity”

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“‘Ball of String’ Textured Protuberances within a Porous Shape Memory Polymer”___________________________________________________________________________

“Synthesis of Degradable PolyHIPEs by AGET ATRP”___________________________________________________________________________

“PEO-Based Star Copolymers as Stabilizers for Water-in-Oil or Oil-in-Water Emulsions”___________________________________________________________________________

“Shape Memory Polymer Foams from Emulsion Templating”___________________________________________________________________________

“One-Pot Synthesis of Elastomeric Monoliths Filled with Individually Encapsulated Liquid Droplets”

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“One-Pot Emulsion-Templated Synthesis of an Elastomer-Filled Hydrogel Framework”

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 “Nanoparticle-based and Organic-phase-based AGET ATRP PolyHIPE Synthesis within Pickering HIPEs and Surfactant-stabilized HIPEs”

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“Porous Carbon Monoliths from Emulsion-Templated Polyacrylonitrile”___________________________________________________________________________

“Emulsion templated bicontinuous hydrophobic-hydrophilic polymers: Loading and release”___________________________________________________________________________

“Polymerized Pickering HIPEs: Effects of Synthesis Parameters on Porous Structure”___________________________________________________________________________

“Porous, Biodegradable, Emulsion-templated Polyacrylate: Structures, Properties, and Cell Growth”___________________________________________________________________________

“Porous Polyurethanes Synthesized within High Internal Phase Emulsions”

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“Enhancing Hydrophilicity in a Hydrophobic Porous Emulsion-Templated Polyacrylate”

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“Biodegradable Porous Polymers through Emulsion Templating”___________________________________________________________________________