Porous Eucommia ulmoides Gum Monoliths Prepared via Modified Pickering High Internal Phase Emulsion Method

Development of materials based on Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG) has been receiving increasing interest because of its unique properties and abundant natural sources. In this study, EUG monolithic materials with tunable and interconnected pore structures were prepared via modified Pickering high internal phase emulsion. The effects of dispersed phase volume fractions, cross-linkers, and stabilizers on structures and properties of EUG monoliths were systematically investigated. The usage of a surfactant (span 80) was suppressed by the introduction of particles including graphene, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Moreover, the pyrolyzed sample derived from the CNT-stabilized EUG monolith exhibited excellent electromagnetic shield performance. This study demonstrates a method to prepare porous monolithic EUG materials, which may have potential applications for thermal insulation and electromagnetic shielding materials.