Synthesis of star polymeric ionic liquids and use as the stabilizers for high internal phase emulsions

A series of well-defined core cross-linked star (CCS) polymeric ionic liquids (PILs) were synthesized via a three-step approach. First, the styrenic imidazole-based CCS polymer (S-PVBnIm) was prepared by the RAFT-mediated heterogeneous polymerization in a water/ethanol solution, followed by the quaternization of S-PVBnIm with bromoalkanes and anion exchange. The CCS polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The obtained CCS polymers were used as the effective emulsifiers for oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). Multiple oils with different polarity including n-dodecane, undecanol, toluene and octanol were emulsified using 0.5 wt% S-PVBnIm aqueous solution under the acidic condition to form HIPEs with long-term stabilities. The excellent emulsification properties of CCS PILs were demonstrated by HIPE formation for a variety of oils. The properties of HIPEs in terms of emulsion type and oil droplet size were characterized by the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The intriguing capability of CCS PILs to stabilize HIPEs of various oils holds great potentials for the practical applications.