Effect of post-polymerization crosslinking on morphology of mesoporous poly-divinylbenzene

Mesoporous poly-divinylbenzenes prepared using very high dilution of monomers with porogenic solvent offer high surface area within relatively large pores. Their expanded morphology does not depend on nature of surrounding solvent, but during drying, it is prone to partial collapse due to the effect of capillary forces. This collapse is possible to diminish by post-polymerization crosslinking (hypercrosslinking) by Friedel–Crafts catalyzed reaction of residual vinyl groups remaining in the polymer after radical in their solvent-expanded state was evaluated using inverse steric exclusion chromatography polymerization. Effects of this hypercrosslinking were studied using two polymers prepared with monomer—porogenic solvent ratios 1:5 and 1:10. Morphologies of the examined polymers were examibed in their solvent-expanded state by inverse steric exclusion chromatography (ISEC) and in dry state by conventional nitrogen porosimetry. Evaluation of the dried hypercrosslinked polymers using conventional nitrogen porosimetry showing extremely high 70% porosity confirmed results of the swollen-state morphology assessment by the ISEC measurements.