Abstract
High-internal-phase emulsion-templated macroporous polymers (polyHIPEs) have attracted much interest, but their surface functionalization remains a primary concern. Thus, competitive surface functionalization via physical self-assembly of macrosurfactants was reviewed. Dendritic and diblock-copolymer macrosurfactants were tested, and the former appeared to be more topologically competitive in terms of solubility, viscosity, and versatility. In particular, hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) was transformed into dendritic PEI macrosurfactants through click-like N-alkylation with epoxy compounds. Free-standing PEI macrosurfactants were used as molecular nanocapsules for charge-selective guest encapsulation and robustly dictated the surface of a macroporous polymer through the HIPE technique, in which the macroporous polymer could act as a well-recoverable adsorbent. Metal nanoparticle-loaded PEI macrosurfactants could similarly lead to polyHIPE, whose surface was dictated by its catalytic component. Unlike conventional Pickering stabilizer, PEI macrosurfactant-based metal nanocomposite resulted in open-cellular polyHIPE, rendering the catalytic sites well accessible. The active amino groups on the polyHIPE could also be transformed into functional groups of aminopolycarboxylic acids, which could efficiently eliminate trace and heavy metal species in water.
Highlights
Given the potential of high-internal-phase emulsion (HIPE)-templated macroporous polymers in adsorption [1,2,3,4], catalysis [5,6,7,8], bioapplication [9], and separation [10] due to its invention [11], these polymers have been well reviewed by a number of researchers [12,13,14,15,16,17]
This review focuses on the surface functionalization of polyHIPEs via self-assembly of acid- and base-durable dendritic macrosurfactants for polyHIPE recycling
Open-cellular polyHIPEs polyHIPE matrix was made of flexible polymers rather than brittle PS, no chalky fragment would form were obtained, and both showed good catalytic and recyclability properties
Summary
Given the potential of high-internal-phase emulsion (HIPE)-templated macroporous polymers (polyHIPEs) in adsorption [1,2,3,4], catalysis [5,6,7,8], bioapplication [9], and separation [10] due to its invention [11], these polymers have been well reviewed by a number of researchers [12,13,14,15,16,17]. PolyHIPEs are widely explored due to their cost-effective preparation, relatively large specific surface area, interconnected pores, and wide range of potential applications. Surface functionalization of polyHIPE can be performed via self-assembly of macrosurfactants, especially of dendritic macrosurfactants, which are less studied and have not been. Different from linear, grafted, and crosslinking polymers, dendritic polymers consist of dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers with topology-related properties They exhibit globular topology, rich terminal groups, small sizes, and rare or no chain entanglement. Either dendrimer derivatives [21] or hyperbranched macrosurfactants ( called branched polymersomes) [22] can form nanostructures via self-assembly This technique has been extensively studied for biomedical applications, chemical nanoreactors, and host–guest chemistry [23,24]. Applying PEI macrosurfactant to polyHIPE could combine the functional versatility of PEI macrosurfactant with the large-scale production of porous polyHIPE, thereby extending the ordered surface to macroscopic scale
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