High Internal Phase Emulsions Stabilized Solely by Microgel Particles

摘要

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are often defined as very concentrated emulsions in which the volume fraction of the internal phase exceeds 0.74.Conventional HIPEs consisting of a continuous organic phase and an internal aqueous phase (water-in-oil, w/o emulsion) are commonly stabilized by large amounts of surfactant. If the continuous phase contains one or more monomeric species that are polymerizable, HIPEs can be used as templates for the fabrication of highly porous materials. Highly porous materials have proven to be useful in a variety of applications, including filtration membranes for molten metals and hot gases, bioreactors, catalyst carriers, and scaffolds for bone replacement and tissue engineering.