Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a porous material comprising the steps of; (a) providing a C/W emulsion comprising an aqueous phase, a matrix building material, a surfactant and liquid CO2 phase; (b) at least partially freezing the aqueous phase; (c) gasifying CO2 from the liquid CO2 phase to form an intermediate porous material; (d) venting gasified CO2 from the intermediate porous material; and (e) freeze drying the intermediate porous material at least substantially to remove the aqueous phase and form the porous material. The present invention also relates to a porous material obtainable by the method.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for preparing water dispersible or water soluble porous bodies and the bodies themselves The bodies have an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least about 3 ml/g and comprise a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing less than 10% by weight of a water soluble polymeric material and 5 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, with the proviso that said porous bodies are not spherical beads having an average bead diameter of 0.2 to 5 mm.

Abstract: Porous bodies which are soluble or dispersible in non-aqueous media comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing (a) 10 to 70% by weight of a polymeric material which is soluble in water immiscible non-aqueous media and (b) 30 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, said porous bodies having an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least 3 ml/g.

Abstract: Water dispersible or water soluble porous bodies comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing 10 to 95% by weight of a polymeric material which is soluble in water, and, less than 5% by weight of a surfactant, said porous bodies having an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry (as hereinafter described) of at least about 3 ml/g, and, with the proviso that said porous bodies are not spherical beads having an average bead diameter of 0.2 to 5 mm.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for the preparation of a carrier liquid which comprises the steps of: (I) preparing an emulsion comprising: a) an aqueous phase, b) A second liquid phase which is volatile and which is immiscible with aqueous phase (a), c) A carrier material which is soluble in the continuous phase of the emulsion and which is liquid at ambient temperature, and d) A dopant which is soluble in the disperse phase of the emulsion, (II) cooling the emulsion produced in step (I) to a temperature at which at least both the continuous phase and the carrier material become solid, (III) removing water and the volatile second phase from the cooled emulsion in vapor form, and, (IV) returning the product of step (III) to ambient temperature to obtain a liquid product with the dopant dispersed therein.

Abstract: Porous bodies which are soluble or dispersible in non-aqueous media comprising a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing (a) 10 to 70% by weight of a polymeric material which is soluble in water immiscible non-aqueous media and (b) 30 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, said porous bodies having an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least 3 ml/g.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for preparing water dispersible or water soluble porous bodies and the bodies themselves The bodies have an intrusion volume as measured by mercury porosimetry of at least about 3 ml/g and comprise a three dimensional open-cell lattice containing less than 10% by weight of a water soluble polymeric material and 5 to 90% by weight of a surfactant, with the proviso that said porous bodies are not spherical beads having an average bead diameter of 0.2 to 5 mm.

Abstract: The present invention relates to porous beads and to methods of production thereof, in particular to a method of producing hydrophilic polymeric beads by freeze-drying a droplet containing a polymeric material in a continuous phase of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion.

Abstract: Highly cross-linked, maroporous/mesoporous polymer monoliths are prepard using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) as the solvent and porogen for the polymerisation of monomers having more than one polymerisable group, at a monomer concentration in CO2 of more than 40 vol %. The procedure allows the direct formation of dry, solvent-free, macroporous/mesoporous cross-linked monoliths with large surface area and well-controlled pore size distribution.

Abstract: A process for the transformation of an organic molecule catalyzed by a ligand-metal complex, is conducted in compressed CO2 as a solvent, wherein the complex comprises a perfluorinated group. Further, a process for the polymerization of a monomer containing two or more polymerizable groups, optionally together with another copolymerizable monomer, to give a cross-linked polymer in the form of essentially spherical particles, is conducted in compressed CO2 as a solvent, typically in the presence of a surfactant.