Abstract: Using a reversed microemulsion as template, we developed a new and convenient synthesis method for mesoporous polymer materials. Based on a study of the stability and sizes of microemulsions at different mass ratios of CHCl3/CTAB/H2O, a stable reversed microemulsion region was discovered. The stable reversed microemulsion was used as a reaction system for the preparation of mesoporous polystyrene. The initiator (NH4)2S2O8 was dissolved in the reversed microemulsion’s water core and polymerization of styrene was initiated at the oil-water interface of the microemulsion. With one intense and another weak diffraction peak, the synthesized polystyrene gave a typical XRD pattern for a lamellar mesostructure. The corresponding lamellar spacing of the (100) and (200) planes were 2.6 and 1.3 nm, respectively. The N2 adsorption/desorption isothermal suggested that the average pore size of the mesoporous polystyrene was mostly 1.7 nm which coincided with the size of water drops in the reversed microemulsion.

Key words: Mesoporous material, Polystyrene, Reversed microemulsion, Template, Lamellar structure