Open-cell PDMS polyHIPEs prepared using polymethylvinylsiloxane to prevent pore collapse

Abstract

Polymerized high internal phase emulsions (PolyHIPEs) are porous polymers made using an emulsion template. Our group has previously shown that polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polyHIPEs prepared using a thiol-ene crosslinking reaction could obtain a maximum total porosity of ∼63%. Attempting to increase total porosity by increasing the volume fraction dispersed phase resulted in collapse of the porous material due to the soft nature of PDMS. In this work, polymethylvinylsiloxane (PMVS) was synthesized to impart high crosslinking density in the network. This polymer can be blended with divinyl-PDMS in the continuous phase to obtain a large range of storage moduli (25–900 kPa) in the final polyHIPEs with higher total porosity (74–77%). Finally, the use of these PDMS PolyHIPEs as separation media for oil/water mixtures has been demonstrated.