US EPA

6392546 

Journal Article 

Di-block copolymer stabilized methyl methacrylate based polyHIPEs: Influence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic co-monomers on morphology, wettability and thermal properties 

Azhar, U; Yaqub, R; Li, H; Abbas, G; Wang, Y; Chen, J; Zong, C; Xu, A; Zhang Yabin; Zhang, S; Geng, B 

2020 

Yes 

Arabian Journal of Chemistry
ISSN: 1878-5352 

Elsevier B.V. 

13 

2 

3801-3816 

English 

10.1016/j.arabjc.2019.01.005 

WOS:000514837800019 

Due to intermediate hydrophobicity of methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer in water, it is difficult to prepare its stable water in oil high internal phase emulsion (HIPE). Moreover, the addition of fully hydrophilic co-monomer such as 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in MMA monomer makes it further troublesome to stabilize these emulsions. This paper addresses the preparation of such type of difficult to prepare emulsions via addition of an amphiphilic fluorinated di-block copolymer (FDB), poly(2-dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate-b-poly(trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA-b-PTFEMA) as stabilizer. Interestingly, HEMA and/or HFBA (hexa fluorobutyl acrylate) as co-monomers were successfully added to impart some special properties such as thermodynamic stability, desired amphiphilicity to the final polyHIPEs. Fluorinated blocks in FDB anchored well at oil/water interface of HIPE, offering enough hydrophobicity to the comparatively hydrophilic monomers and in turn providing resistance against coalescence. MMA polyHIPEs were found to be fully hydrophobic just by replacing HEMA co-monomer with HFBA. Due to superb inherent hydrophobic nature of fluorine atoms, MMA-HFBA polyHIPEs showed remarkable water contact angle of 139°. Furthermore, the addition of fluorinated co-monomer in MMA based HIPEs significantly improved thermal stabilities of these materials with improvement in degradation temperature from 305 °C to 360 °C. © 2019 

MMA; Porous polymers; Hydrophilic polyHIPE; Hydrophobic polyHIPE; Fluorinated di-block copolymer; RAFT