  We propose a new mechanism to create self-assembled porous media with highly
tunable geometrical properties and permeabilities: We first allow a
particle-stabilized emulsion to form from a mixture of two fluids and colloidal
particles. Then, either one fluid phase or the particle layer is solidified,
which can be achieved by techniques such as polymerization or freezing. Based
on computer simulations we demonstrate that modifying only the particle
wettability or concentration results in porous structures with a wide range of
pore sizes and a permeability that can be varied by up to three orders of
magnitude. We then discuss optimization of these properties for self-assembled
filters or reactors and conclude that structures based on so-called "bijels"
are most suitable candidates.

Soft Condensed Matter;Materials Science;Chemical Physics;Computational Physics;Fluid Dynamics