Preparation of foam materials from high internal phase emulsions

This application relates to a process for the preparation of a polymeric foam material. The process has the steps of: preparing an oil phase and water phase and mixing the phases to make a water-in-oil emulsion wherein the emulsion has a volume to weight ratio of water phase to oil phase of at least about 4:1 and from about 20% to about 80% of the final volume to weight ratio of water phase to oil phase; increasing the volume to weight ratio of water phase to oil phase in the emulsion to 100% of the final volume to weight ratio of water phase to oil phase by the mixing of additional amount of water phase with the emulsion and curing the monomer component in the oil phase of the water-in-oil emulsion using a polymerization reaction to form a saturated polymeric foam material.