Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers
In spite of its versatility, the emulsion templating method is rather uncommon for the preparation of porous silicones. In this contribution, two siloxane-containing stabilizers, designed to be soluble in polar (water) and non-polar (toluene) solvents, respectively, were used in low concentrations t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Gels |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/377 |
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| author | Carmen Racles Adrian Bele Ana-Lavinia Vasiliu Liviu Sacarescu |
| author_facet | Carmen Racles Adrian Bele Ana-Lavinia Vasiliu Liviu Sacarescu |
| author_sort | Carmen Racles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In spite of its versatility, the emulsion templating method is rather uncommon for the preparation of porous silicones. In this contribution, two siloxane-containing stabilizers, designed to be soluble in polar (water) and non-polar (toluene) solvents, respectively, were used in low concentrations to produce stable emulsions, wherein polysiloxane gels were obtained by UV-photoinitiated thiol-ene click cross-linking. The stabilizers exhibited negative interfacial tension, as measured by Wilhelmy plate tensiometry. The emulsion gels evolved into porous silicones (xerogels), with tunable morphology and properties. According to TEM and SEM investigations, the emulsion template was preserved in the final materials. Several parameters (e.g., the structure of the polysiloxane precursors, composition of the emulsion gels, nature of the continuous phase, cross-linking conditions, or additives) can be varied in order to obtain porous elastic materials with desired properties, such as Janus membranes, absorbent monoliths, all-polymer porous composites, or silicone-swollen gels. The feasibility of these types of materials was tested, and exemplary porous silicones were briefly characterized by contact angle measurements, mechanical testing, and absorption tests. The proposed method is simple, fast, and economic, uses very little amounts of stabilizers, and can be adjusted as a green technique. In this contribution, all the silicon-based materials with a convenient design were prepared in house. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:45:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ee11142679be434fb1957649a54d60f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:45:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj.art-ee11142679be434fb1957649a54d60f22023-11-23T16:45:49ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612022-06-018637710.3390/gels8060377Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane StabilizersCarmen Racles0Adrian Bele1Ana-Lavinia Vasiliu2Liviu Sacarescu3Department of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaMihai Dima Laboratory of Functional Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Inorganic Polymers, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Gr. Ghica Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, RomaniaIn spite of its versatility, the emulsion templating method is rather uncommon for the preparation of porous silicones. In this contribution, two siloxane-containing stabilizers, designed to be soluble in polar (water) and non-polar (toluene) solvents, respectively, were used in low concentrations to produce stable emulsions, wherein polysiloxane gels were obtained by UV-photoinitiated thiol-ene click cross-linking. The stabilizers exhibited negative interfacial tension, as measured by Wilhelmy plate tensiometry. The emulsion gels evolved into porous silicones (xerogels), with tunable morphology and properties. According to TEM and SEM investigations, the emulsion template was preserved in the final materials. Several parameters (e.g., the structure of the polysiloxane precursors, composition of the emulsion gels, nature of the continuous phase, cross-linking conditions, or additives) can be varied in order to obtain porous elastic materials with desired properties, such as Janus membranes, absorbent monoliths, all-polymer porous composites, or silicone-swollen gels. The feasibility of these types of materials was tested, and exemplary porous silicones were briefly characterized by contact angle measurements, mechanical testing, and absorption tests. The proposed method is simple, fast, and economic, uses very little amounts of stabilizers, and can be adjusted as a green technique. In this contribution, all the silicon-based materials with a convenient design were prepared in house.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/377amphiphilic siloxanesemulsion gelspolysiloxanesporous siliconesxerogelsnegative interfacial tension |
| spellingShingle | Carmen Racles Adrian Bele Ana-Lavinia Vasiliu Liviu Sacarescu Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers Gels amphiphilic siloxanes emulsion gels polysiloxanes porous silicones xerogels negative interfacial tension |
| title | Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers |
| title_full | Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers |
| title_fullStr | Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers |
| title_short | Emulsion Gels as Precursors for Porous Silicones and All-Polymer Composites—A Proof of Concept Based on Siloxane Stabilizers |
| title_sort | emulsion gels as precursors for porous silicones and all polymer composites a proof of concept based on siloxane stabilizers |
| topic | amphiphilic siloxanes emulsion gels polysiloxanes porous silicones xerogels negative interfacial tension |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/377 |
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