Effect of Soxhlet Extraction and Surfactant System on Morphology and Properties of Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE

Poly(Divinylbenzene)PolyHIPE (Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE) was successfully prepared by using two different systems of three-component surfactants (S20M and S80M) and toluene as porogenic solvent. Phase morphology, mechanical properties and surface area measurements of the obtained Poly(DVB)Poly HIPE were investigated. After polymerization of continuous phase followed by extraction process, the porous materials (open cellular structure with interconnections) were obtained. The cell size and surface area were found to be improved: this is due to the ability of porogenic solvent and mixture of the surfactants to prevent the Ostwald ripening (coalescence) of the emulsion droplet system. Moreover, the surface area and mechanical properties of the resulting materials were found to be depended on the Soxhlet extraction time. It was demonstrated that the usage of Soxhlet extraction technique for Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE improved surface area of the obtained materials by 107% as compared with the unextracted PolyHIPE. However, when the extraction time was longer than 12 hours, the properties of the obtained materials became poor. It was concluded that the suitable Soxhlet extraction time for Poly(DVB)PolyHIPE was 6–12 hours and at this condition, high surface area with the highest mechanical properties of the porous material were obtained.