Tailored for simplicity: creating high porosity, high performance bio-based macroporous polymers from foam templates
Author(s)
Lau, THM
Wong, LLC
Lee, K-Y
Bismarck, A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Mechanical frothing can be used to create gas–liquid monomer foams, which can then be subsequently polymerised to produce macroporous polymers. Until recently, this technique was limited to producing low porosity macroporous polymers with poor pore morphology and compression properties. In this study, we show that high porosity (75–80%) biobased macroporous polymers with excellent mechanical compression properties (E = 163 MPa, σ = 4.9 MPa) can be produced by curing of epoxy resin foams made by mechanical frothing. The key to this is to utilise the very viscous nature and very short working time of a biobased epoxy resin. It was found that increasing the frothing time of the biobased epoxy resin reduces the pore diameter of the resulting macroporous polymers. These macroporous polymers were also found to be partially interconnected. The compression properties of the macroporous polymers with smaller average pore diameter were found to be higher than those of foams with larger pore diameters. Unlike emulsion templating, which uses high internal phase emulsions to produce macroporous polymers, called polyHIPEs, the mechanical frothing technique has the advantage of creating macroporous polymers from monomers which cannot be easily emulsified.
Date Issued
2013-11-20
Date Acceptance
2013-11-19
Citation
Green Chemistry, 2013, 16 (4), pp.1931-1940
ISSN
1744-1560
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
Start Page
1931
End Page
1940
Journal / Book Title
Green Chemistry
Volume
16
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
License URL
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chemistry
CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
INTERNAL PHASE EMULSIONS
CURED EPOXIDE-RESINS
THERMAL-DEGRADATION
MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES
CELLULAR MATERIALS
NETWORK STRUCTURE
MODEL COMPOUNDS
CARBON-DIOXIDE
SCAFFOLDS
BONE
Publication Status
Published