From Plastic to Silicone: The Novelties in Porous Polymer Fabrications

Table 2

Advantages and disadvantages of main types of fabrication techniques [33].

Fabrication method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Solvent casting/particulate leaching	Control over porosity, pore size, and crystallinity	Limited mechanical property, residual solvents, and porogen material
Porogen leaching	Controlled over porosity and pore geometry	Inadequate pore size and pore interconnectivity
Gas foaming	Free of harsh organic solvents, control over porosity and pore size	Limited mechanical property, inadequate pore interconnectivity
Phase separation	No decrease in the activity of the molecule	Difficult to control precisely morphology
Freeze-drying	High temperature and separate leaching step not required	Small pore size and long processing time