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Zhou Y, Tian Y, Zhang M. Technical development and application of supercritical CO 2 foaming technology in PCL foam production. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6825. [PMID: 38514733 PMCID: PMC10958027 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57545-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Polycaprolactone (PCL) has the advantages of good biocompatibility, appropriate biodegradability, non-toxicity, flexibility, and processability. As a result, PCL-based foams can successfully work in bone tissue engineering, medical patches, drug delivery, reinforcing materials, and other applications. A promising technology for producing PCL foam products is supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) foaming technology, which avoids using organic solvents, is green, and has low foaming agent costs. However, due to the limitations of ScCO2 foaming technology, it is no longer possible to use this technology alone to meet current production requirements. Therefore, ScCO2 foaming technology must combine with other technologies to develop PCL foam products with better performance and matching requirements. This paper systematically reviews the technological development of ScCO2 foaming in producing PCL foams. The molding process of ScCO2 foaming and the conventional preparation process of PCL foam products are discussed comprehensively, including the preparation process, advantages, and disadvantages, challenges faced, etc. Six combined technologies for ScCO2 foaming in the production of PCL foams and the applications of PCL foams are presented. Finally, the future remaining research for producing PCL foams by ScCO2 foaming is analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujin Zhou
- College of Physical Education, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, 430079, China
- College of Science, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, China
| | - Yingrui Tian
- School of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430081, China
| | - Mengdong Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components & Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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Feng T, Guo W, Li W, Meng Z, Zhu Y, Zhao F, Liang W. Unveiling Sustainable Potential: A Life Cycle Assessment of Plant-Fiber Composite Microcellular Foam Molded Automotive Components. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:4952. [PMID: 37512227 PMCID: PMC10383067 DOI: 10.3390/ma16144952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The development and utilization of new plant-fiber composite materials and microcellular foam molding processes for the manufacturing of automotive components are effective approaches when achieving the lightweight, low-carbon, and sustainable development of automobiles. However, current research in this field has mainly focused on component performance development and functional exploration, with a limited assessment of environmental performance, which fails to meet the requirements of the current green and sustainable development agenda. In this study, based on a life cycle assessment, the resource, and environmental impacts of plant-fiber composite material automotive components and microcellular foam molding processes were investigated. Furthermore, a combined approach to digital twinning and life cycle evaluation was proposed to conduct resource and environmental assessments and analysis. The research results indicate that under current technological conditions, resource and environmental issues associated with plant-fiber composite material automotive components are significantly higher than those of traditional material components, mainly due to differences in their early-stage processes and the consumption of electrical energy and chemical raw materials. It is noteworthy that electricity consumption is the largest influencing factor that causes environmental issues throughout the life cycle, especially accounting for more than 42% of indicators such as ozone depletion, fossil resource consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the microcellular foam molding process can effectively reduce the environmental impact of products by approximately 15% and exhibits better overall environmental performance compared to chemical foaming. In future development, optimizing the forming process of plant-fiber composite materials, increasing the proportion of clean energy use, and promoting the adoption of microcellular foam injection molding processes could be crucial for the green and sustainable development of automotive components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Feng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Guo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Institute of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wei Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd., Liuzhou 545007, China
| | - Zhenghua Meng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Institute of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yao Zhu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Feng Zhao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Weicheng Liang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Automotive Components Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
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Lightweight and High Impact Toughness PP/PET/POE Composite Foams Fabricated by In Situ Nanofibrillation and Microcellular Injection Molding. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15010227. [PMID: 36616576 PMCID: PMC9824783 DOI: 10.3390/polym15010227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Polypropylene (PP) has become the most promising and candidate material for fabricating lightweight products. Microcellular injection molding (MIM) is a cost-effective technology for manufacturing porous plastic products. However, it is still challenging to fabricate high-performance PP microcellular components. Herein, we reported an efficient strategy to produce lightweight and high impact toughness foamed PP/polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/polyolefin-based elastomer (POE) components by combining in situ fibrillation (INF) and MIM technologies. First, the INF composite was prepared by integrating twin-screw compounding with melt spinning. SEM analysis showed PET nanofibrils with a diameter of 258 nm were achieved and distributed uniformly in the PP due to the POE's inducing elaboration effect. Rheological and DSC analysis demonstrated PET nanofibrils pronouncedly improved PP's viscoelasticity and crystal nucleation rate, respectively. Compared with PP foam, INF composite foam showed more stretched cells in the skin layer and refined spherical cells in the core layer. Due to the synergistic toughening effect of PET nanofibrils and POE elastic particles, the impact strength of INF composite foams was 295.3% higher than that of PP foam and 191.2% higher than that of melt-blended PP/PET foam. The results gathered in this study reveal potential applications for PP based INF composite foams in the manufacturing of lightweight automotive products with enhanced impact properties.
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Lin W, Hamamoto Y, Hikima Y, Ohshima M. Improvement of the surface quality of foam injection molded products from a material property perspective. POLYM ENG SCI 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pen.26183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Weiyuan Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | | | - Yuta Hikima
- Department of Chemical Engineering Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
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Crosslinked Polyethylene (XLPE), Recycling via Foams. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14132589. [PMID: 35808636 PMCID: PMC9268835 DOI: 10.3390/polym14132589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient recycling of crosslinked polyethylene has been challenging due to manufacturing difficulties caused by chemical crosslinking. This study focuses on simple processing via solid waste powder generation and particle fining for the subsequent crosslinked polyethylene inclusion and dispersion in rigid polyurethane foam. In addition, the concentration effects of crosslinked polyethylene in polyurethane were studied, showing a well-controlled foam microstructure with uniform pores, retained strength, better thermal degradation resistance, and, more importantly, increased thermal capabilities. Thus, the simple mechanical processing of crosslinked polyethylene and chemical urethane foaming showed the massive potential of recycling large amounts of crosslinked polyethylene in foams for broad applications in food packaging, house insulation, and sound reduction.
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Li J, Wang H, Zhou H, Jiang J, Wang X, Li Q. Fabrication of Highly Interconnected Poly(ε-caprolactone)/cellulose Nanofiber Composite Foams by Microcellular Foaming and Leaching Processes. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:22672-22680. [PMID: 34514238 PMCID: PMC8427651 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c02768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, microcellular polycaprolactone (PCL)/sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) composite foams with highly interconnected porous structures were successfully fabricated by microcellular foaming and particle leaching processes. Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) served as a physical foaming agent, NaHCO3 was chosen as a chemical foaming agent and porogen, and CNF acted as a heterogeneous nucleating agent. The effect of scCO2, NaHCO3, and CNF on pore structures and the cofoaming mechanism were investigated. The results indicated that the addition of NaHCO3 and CNF increased the melt strength of the PCL matrix significantly. During the foaming process, the presence of CNF can form a rigid network due to the hydrogen bonding or mechanical entanglement between individual nanofibers, improving the nucleating efficiency but slowing down the cell growth rate. Additionally, due to the interaction of "soft" PCL matrix and "hard" domains in a PCL-based composite during the foaming process, together with the NaHCO3 leaching process, highly interconnected cell structures appeared. The obtained PCL/NaHCO3/CNF composite foams had a cell size of 15.8 μm and cell density of 6.3 × 107 cells/cm3, as well as an open-cell content of 82%. The reported strategy in this paper may provide the guidelines and data supports for the fabrication of a PCL-based porous scaffold.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Li
- School
of Mechanics & Safety Engineering, National Center for International
Joint research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Hongyao Wang
- School
of Mechanics & Safety Engineering, National Center for International
Joint research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Hongfu Zhou
- Beijing
Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety
of Plastics, Beijing Technology and Business
University, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Jing Jiang
- School
of Mechanical & Power Engineering, Zhengzhou
University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Xiaofeng Wang
- School
of Mechanics & Safety Engineering, National Center for International
Joint research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Qian Li
- School
of Mechanics & Safety Engineering, National Center for International
Joint research of Micro-Nano Molding Technology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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