Styrene Sulfonate As a Surfactant-Monomer (surfmer)

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are highly concentrated systems resulting from the mixing of two immiscible liquids with a surfactant (emulsifier). A polyHIPE is obtained from the polymerization of these HIPEs to create porous polymers. Both systems have been growing areas of research, having applications in tissue engineering, smart materials, water treatment, and reaction support, to name a few. Based on today’s water quality concerns, new and affordable ways of water treatment are desired; precisely these kinds of treatments represent another polyHIPE application. The goal of the research focuses on the inclusion of another family of surfactants; here, styrene sulfonate (SS) is introduced as a candidate, acting as a surfactant-monomer compound (surfmer). Surfmer compounds are desired for their combination of the physical behavior of surfactants and the reactivity of monomers which permits further chemistry added on the product. For it to qualify as a surfactant, it needed to lower the interfacial tension between immiscible phases. This step was performed and confirmed using pendant drop tensiometry to record the interfacial tension at the interface. Later on, porous beads will emerge from this polymerization process. Lastly, HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) tests were used to confirm full incorporation of the studied surfactant-monomer in the product. The goal is to obtain a minimal concentration of surfmer in the effluent lowering this value as much as possible down to a targeted value of 0. In the end, optimizations in the formulation process are recommended to obtain better porous polymer production.