Influence of the Macromolecular Surfactant Features and Reactivity on Morphology and Surface Properties of Emulsion-Templated Porous Polymers

This work investigates key parameters of a straightforward macromolecular surfactant-assisted functionalization strategy of porous polymers produced by high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) polymerization. For that purpose, a series of well-defined amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(styrene) (PEO-b-PS) copolymers with various compositions and molar masses were synthesized by radical addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and used as macromolecular surfactants for the emulsion-templated polymerization of styrene/divinylbenzene (S/DVB). The morphology of the resulting foams, referred to as polyHIPEs, was found dependent on the PS block length and concentration of the block copolymer surfactant in the emulsion. Moreover, we determined the lowest PS block length required for preserving the anchoring of the copolymer at the surface by physical entanglement within the S/DVB cross-linked matrix leading to a PEO-coated porous material. The functionalization of the porous monoliths with PEO was evidenced by sessile drop shape analyses and water uptake experiments. The chemical anchoring of the PEO-b-PS at the surface of polyHIPEs was also explored by interfacial initiation of the RIPE polymerization from a PEO-b-PS-RAFT macroinitiator leading to porous structures with permanent PEO coatings. In this case, copolymerizing DVB with acrylate instead of styrene improved the interconnectivity of the porous monoliths.