Porous polymer foams (poly-Pickering-HIPEs) have been synthesised from stable high internal phase emulsion templates solely stabilised by low concentrations of functionalised titania nanoparticles.

Nanocomposite polyHIPEs were synthesised by the polymerization of the continuous phase of high internal phase emulsions containing titania nanoparticles in the organic or oxidized CNTs in the aqueous phase. The resulting polymer foams possessed an interconnected pore structure characteristic of polyHIPEs. The incorporation of titania nanoparticles into the polyHIPE resulted in an increased compressive modulus and crush strength of the foam. Even though 4 wt % of CNTs were successfully incorporated into the polymer matrix, only a modest improvement of the mechanical performance was achieved.

Conceptual design projects are increasingly known as an intense decision-making process. Much of the decision-making is comparing the degree of preference between choices. In the complex projects of the upstream business of oil and gas, good decisions are crucial for success. Decisions are typically made within a dynamic environment, wide range of uncertainty, and have to account for the asset life cycle. This paper reflects on the application of the decision quality framework with a focus on decision modelling. Using an industrial example, a systematic approach to visualise and improve decision making process is proposed. The approach applies a Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) and Decision Quality frameworks and identified opportunities for future research.

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