Influence of Sonication on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Methyl Methacrylate based PolyHIPE Monoliths

Influence of Sonication on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Methyl Methacrylate based PolyHIPE Monoliths | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Influence of Sonication on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Methyl Methacrylate based PolyHIPE Monoliths Nastja Slavič, Matjaž Kristl, Irena Pulko, Peter Krajnc This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346383/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The morphology of polyHIPE materials directly governs their permeability, surface area, and mechanical properties, therefore developing novel strategies to enhance emulsion uniformity and influencing the droplet size is crucial for advancing their practical applications. Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) containing high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) with internal phase volume fractions between 75% and 85% were prepared using a surfactant and homogenized with an overhead stirrer. Following emulsification, the HIPEs were either directly photopolymerised or first subjected to ultrasonic treatment and then photopolymerised. All resulting materials exhibited characteristic polyHIPE morphologies, comprising highly porous, interconnected structures. The primary pore diameters typically ranged from 3 to 23 µm. In all cases, ultrasound treatment resulted in a substantial reduction in average pore size, with decreases ranging from 10% to 50%, depending on the formulation. Morphological changes are attributed to acoustic cavitation and enhanced droplet disruption during sonication, confirming the influence of ultrasound on emulsion structure and the resulting pore architecture. Furthermore, compression testing showed that the improved pore uniformity introduced by sonication influences mechanical properties, resulting in higher compressive strength and increased elasticity compared to non-sonicated samples of the same composition. polyHIPE High Internal Phase Emulsions Methyl Methacrylate sonification porous polymers Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 28 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 22 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 12 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8346383","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":582774967,"identity":"9c7baedf-52fd-43c1-ad0a-f5b25c502c49","order_by":0,"name":"Nastja Slavič","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Maribor","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nastja","middleName":"","lastName":"Slavič","suffix":""},{"id":582774972,"identity":"b50b2889-67d4-4927-b06f-7c41a1c045d4","order_by":1,"name":"Matjaž Kristl","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Maribor","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matjaž","middleName":"","lastName":"Kristl","suffix":""},{"id":582774973,"identity":"e8043586-8470-499d-af70-7fa020d119bc","order_by":2,"name":"Irena Pulko","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Faculty of Polymer Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Irena","middleName":"","lastName":"Pulko","suffix":""},{"id":582774977,"identity":"02bf3612-3087-4cc2-aa56-2f0310821f9a","order_by":3,"name":"Peter Krajnc","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPCCBCA+wMDwAcRmJqiaGaGFcQaJWoBMHmJcZM7ef/BxBUNaPn/j2YOfbdu2Mci3E9Bi2XOY2fAMQ47ljAPnkqVz224zGBwmoMXgRjKbZANDhQHDgTNmzGAthPxicP8x+0+QFnmQFkugFvlmgrYwszE2MOQYGIC0MAK1MBBymGVPsrFkg0GageGBM8aSPedu8xD0izn7wYcfGyqSDeRunDH88KPstpx8/wECDoOTEhCVhKPGAM7ibyCoeBSMglEwCkYoAAD9gD/N+3hEawAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Maribor","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Peter","middleName":"","lastName":"Krajnc","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-12 13:53:12","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346383/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346383/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101753758,"identity":"4e1e5bb5-39cc-4a5a-946e-6c7da4bea06e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-03 10:40:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1852566,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"krajnc.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8346383/v1_covered_ca835894-a299-4b0b-9e6b-03239a0f1834.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Influence of Sonication on the Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Methyl Methacrylate based PolyHIPE Monoliths","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"colloid-and-polymer-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":" Learn more about [Colloid and Polymer Science](https://www.springer.com/journal/396) ","snPcode":"396","submissionUrl":"https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cps","title":"Colloid and Polymer Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"polyHIPE, High Internal Phase Emulsions, Methyl Methacrylate, sonification, porous polymers","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346383/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8346383/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe morphology of polyHIPE materials directly governs their permeability, surface area, and mechanical properties, therefore developing novel strategies to enhance emulsion uniformity and influencing the droplet size is crucial for advancing their practical applications. 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