Synthesis of Emulsion-Templated Acrylic-Based Porous Polymers: From Brittle to Elastomeric

High internal phase emulsion polymers (PolyHIPEs) are novel materials that have high porosity and interconnected open-cell structure and are used in various applications such as supports for catalytic systems, media for separation of similar molecules, and scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this study, 90% porous acrylic based polyHIPE structures with various cellular structure and mechanical characteristics were developed by using stearyl acrylate (SA), isodecyl acrylate (IDA), isobornyl methacrylate (IBMA), and divinylbenzene (DVB). Elastomeric polyHIPEs were produced from the comonomers of SA and IDA, and had high ability of recovery when the applied stress was removed. IBMA based polyHIPEs were brittle and demonstrated higher Young's modulus and compression strength than that of conventional styrene based polyHIPEs at the same void volume. Therefore, by varying the composition, it became possible to alter the mechanical properties of polyHIPEs from brittle to elastomeric, without changing the interconnected cellular structures.