Synthesis and in situ functionalization of microfiltration membranes via high internal phase emulsion templating

The continuous phase of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) can be polymerized to produce highly porous materials, known as polyHIPEs. The aim of this work was to synthesize polyHIPE microfiltration membranes having a hydrophobic bulk and a hydrophilic surface to enhance their performance. Therefore, in situ functionalization was performed through interfacial copolymerization of a hydrophobic monomer (butyl acrylate) in the continuous phase with a hydrophilic monomer (sodium acrylate) in the disperse phase. The functionalization of polyHIPEs was studied by using conductometric titration and Fourier transform IR spectroscopy. We show that the surface charge density of poly(butyl acrylate)-based polyHIPEs can be controlled by varying the concentration of sodium acrylate in the disperse phase. PolyHIPE microfiltration membranes have higher intrinsic permeability (around 1.31 × 10⁻⁸ m²) in comparison to conventional microfiltration membranes. The interfacial copolymerization of sodium acrylate increases the permeability of microfiltration membranes. In addition, the rejection of polyHIPE microfiltration membranes was studied for the separation of microalgae.