Hydrophilic porous polymers based on high internal phase emulsions solely stabilized by poly(urethane urea) nanoparticles

Stable oil-in-water (o/w) Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) having an internal phase of up to 95 vol% were prepared with a low-energy emulsification method. A poly(urethane urea) (PUU) aqueous nanodispersion was used as aqueous phase. The PUU nanoparticles of the aqueous nanodispersion acted as a mechanical barrier, and prevented droplet coalescence in the Pickering HIPEs. In addition, open porous hydrophilic polymer foams were obtained by polymerization of the Pickering HIPEs, and the morphology of the foams were tailored by changing the oil:water ratio, PUU nanoparticle and NaCl concentrations. The method used herein provides a simple way to prepare morphology controlled hydrophilic polymer foams using o/w Pickering HIPEs as template.