Research efforts are being focused on the development of environmentally friendly bio-based nanocomposites in the desire to seek alternatives to petroleum based materials. In this work, novel bio-nanocomposite foams made from soybean-based resins and nanocellulose have been produced, which have potential in the manufacture of large composite parts, for example sandwich structures. Emulsion templating has emerged as an effective route to prepare porous polymers foams with a well-defined morphology since the latter is defined by the structure of the emulsion template at the gel-point of the polymerization.

Pickering emulsions are emulsions that are solely stabilised by small particles. These emulsions are extremely stable due to the irreversible adsorption of particles at the interface between the dispersed and continuous phase. Here we provide evidence that it is possible to stabilise Pickering medium and high internal phase emulsions (Pickering-M/HIPEs) of modified soybean oils having internal aqueous phase levels above 50% solely with hydrophobised silica and nanocellulose particles. Such emulsions can be used as emulsion templates for the synthesis of highly porous polymer foams, so-called poly-Pickering-M/HIPEs if the components of the continuous phase are polymerisable. Poly-Pickering-M/HIPEs are usually closed celled polymer foams, however, when using a green surfactant it is possible to synthesise open porous polymer foams with interconnected porous network structure.

We study the effect the internal phase level and amount of surfactant or particles used to stabilise the emulsions on the emulsion stability and droplet size and when polymerised on the foam morphology and mechanical properties.