In situ hyper-cross-linking of glycidyl methacrylate–based polyHIPEs through the amine-enriched high internal phase emulsions

The synthesis of glycidyl methacrylate–based polyHIPEs by free-radical polymerization in the presence of 1,8-diaminoctane or tris(2-aminoethyl)amine-enriched high internal phase emulsions is presented. This innovative “one-pot” synthetic route was developed to produce the so-called in situ hyper-cross-linked polyHIPEs without the use of any additional catalyst, cross-linker, or solvent. In situ hyper-cross-linking was performed through the amine-epoxy reaction before the gel point had been reached, resulting in the formation of the β-amino alcohol derivatives that represent cross-linking knots between the neighboring epoxy repeating units within the poly (glycidyl methacrylate) backbone. In this way, the volume of the mesopores smaller than 3 nm significantly increased. Thus, by changing the amounts of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and amines in the HIPE templates, the porous structure and the pore volume of the hyper-cross-linked polyHIPEs were systematically altered in order to amplify the polyHIPE’s specific surface area.