Preparation of porous polyvinyl acetate materials using concentrated emulsion templates

This paper is devoted to the preparation of highly porous polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) materials using concentrated emulsion templates. Stable concentrated emulsions were obtained by introducing colloidal silica to the aqueous phase, which was absorbed at the interface of the emulsion preventing the coalescence of the dispersed phase. The prepared samples were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N₂ adsorption (BET), thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal techniques. SEM measurement revealed that cell diameter of the resulting foams was controlled from 1 to 10 μm by altering the emulsion composition, such as the content of colloidal silica, and the volume fraction of the dispersed phase. FT-IR revealed the presence of SiO₂ and PVAc in the resulting foams. The nitrogen adsorption analysis showed that the samples possessed mesoporous structure with surface areas lager than 62 m² g^?1. Porous PVAc materials, which are biocompatible, will have potential applications in area of life science.