Preparation of foam materials from elevated emulsions internal phase.

A process for preparing a polymeric foam material comprising the following steps: A) forming a water / oil emulsion from: 1) an oil phase comprising: a) from 80 to 99% by weight of a monomer component that can rapidly harden, wherein the monomer component comprises: i) from 20% to 97% by weight of a practically water-insoluble monomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylates, alkyl methacrylates and mixtures thereof; ii) from 2% to 40% of a water-insoluble polyfunctional crosslinker selected from the group consisting of polyfunctional acrylate and methacrylate esters, and mixtures thereof; iii) from 0 to 8% by weight of a third monomer practically insoluble in water; wherein the term "alkyl", herein, also encompasses the "aryl" class and the term "methacrylate", herein, includes "ethacrylate" moieties and higher derivative moieties; and b) from 1 to 20% by weight of an emulsifying component that is soluble in the oil phase and suitable for forming a stable water / oil emulsion; and 2) an aqueous phase comprising an aqueous solution containing from 0.2 to 40% by weight of a water soluble electrolyte; wherein the emulsion has a volume / weight ratio between the aqueous phase and the oil phase in the range of 8: 1 to 140: 1; B) harden the monomer component in the oil phase of the water / oil emulsion using a polymerization reaction that is carried out at a hardening temperature of 20 ° C to 130 ° C for a time sufficient to form a saturated polymeric foam material.