Synthesis of Porous Polymeric Supports with PolyHIPE Structures Based on Styrene‐Divinylbenzene Copolymers

Abstract High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) can be applied as templates for synthesis of porous polymers, which can be used in several industrial areas as catalyst supports and column fillers. For this reason, the present work evaluated the use of HIPEs for synthesis of porous poly(styrene‐ co ‐divinylbenzene) (P[S‐ co‐ DVB]) particles through suspension polymerizations. Firstly, the effects of HIPE preparation conditions (surfactant concentration, stirring speed and the duration of the stirring step) on the properties of the obtained particles are investigated. As observed experimentally, the increase of the stirring speed, of the duration of the stirring step and of the surfactant concentration led to reduction of primary cavity dimensions and to higher number of interconnecting pores. Then, the effects of reaction parameters (DVB content, presence of a porogenic agent and the holdup of the organic phase) on the properties of obtained particles are also evaluated. It is observed that the addition of heptane as porogenic agent and the increase of the organic holdup led to increase of the specific area and porosity of the produced spherical polyHIPEs beads, which can exhibit specific area of 33 m².g −1 , specific volume of pores of 0.25 cm³.g −1 and large pore diameters (ranging from 100–1100 Å). Thus, it is shown that the proposed technique can be used for manufacturing of new supports for enzyme immobilization.