Polymerization of styrenic monomers containing imidazolium subunits in the presence of crosslinking monomers and using ionic liquids (ILs) as porogenic agents provides composite materials with excellent mechanical properties and displaying conductivities that are in the same order of magnitude than those shown by bulk ILs. This approach allows the use of high crosslinking degrees and low IL-loadings without compromising the required properties of the resulting composites. Besides, no appreciable leaching of the bulk IL component is detected. Display omitted •Imidazolium cations have been polymerized with styrenic monomers subunits for SILLPs.•No appreciable leaching of the bulk IL component is detected.•Conductivities observed near room temperature are almost identical to the ILs bulk values.•Effect of anion nature has been distinguished between VBIM NTf2 and BMIM Cl.