Critical Effects of Polyethylene Addition on the Autoclave Foaming Behavior of Polypropylene and the Melting Behavior of Polypropylene Foams Blown with n-Pentane and CO2

Liquid foaming of TPU with Methylal

This work investigates the peculiarities of using a liquid blowing agent, namely dimethoxymethane (Methylal) to foam a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in the laboratory practice of batch foaming equipment. We preliminarily measured thermodynamic properties of the polymer/gas system relevant to foaming, namely the vapor-liquid pressures at the TPU foaming temperatures. Three different paths were then explored for foaming. First, we used Methylal under its liquid-vapor equilibrium condition, in which both liquid and vapor are present. Secondly, we used Methylal in the liquid state to experiment with liquid foaming strategies. We have observed specific aspects, details, and issues related to the use of liquid blowing agents and devised strategies to deal with them. Finally, we used Methylal as a co-blowing agent together with CO2. In all cases, we examined the impact of pressure, pressure drop rate, and temperature on foam density and morphology. Overall, liquid foaming has proven to be a viable technique and Methylal an effective blowing agent, especially in cooperation with other gaseous blowing agents, where it significantly improves the expansion ratio of the final product.

Autoclave foaming and steam-chest molding of polypropylene/polybutene-1 blend bead foams and their crystallization and mechanical properties

Expanded polypropylene (EPP) foams have showed wide applications in our daily life, such as automotive and packaging. Usually, autoclave foaming combined with steam-chest molding is the main artwork to prepare the high-precision EPP foam products. However, the foaming behavior of EPP and the excessive pressure required for molding still need to be further improved, which is great significance for energy saving and cost saving, etc. Herein, this study finds that adding a certain amount of polybutene-1 (PB-1) into the PP can help to reduce the temperature and pressure required for foaming/molding, and to broaden the foaming temperature. For example, in order to make the foam beads bonding well and with the expansion ratio of 20, the molding pressure should be higher than 2.7 bar for Neat PP foams, but just 1.5 bar for PP/PB-1 mixtures. Moreover, the effects of PB-1 content on the crystallization properties and foaming/molding behaviors of the PP/PB-1 bead foams are illustrated, and then the mechanical properties are also studied. Furthermore, the low-pressure foaming strategy presented here is beneficial for reducing the barriers of energy consumption and promoting the development of new bead foam materials.

Poly(ether imide)/Epoxy Foam Composites with a Microcellular Structure and Ultralow Density: Bead Foam Fabrication, Compression Molding, Mechanical Properties, Thermal Stability, and Flame-Retardant Properties

It is challenging to prepare ultralow-density microcellular foams based on high-performance polymers due to their low gas solubility and rigid polymer matrix. In this study, by applying microcellular foaming technology using CO₂/acetone as the blowing agent, ultralow-density poly(ether imide) (PEI) bead foams with an expansion ratio of 30-56 times and cell density of 10⁷-10⁹ cells/cm³ were fabricated, resulting from the enhanced plasticization effect of the mixed fluid. The slow diffusivity of acetone at room temperature ensured the saturated PEI beads to foam after desorption for more than 6 days, which potentially reduces the transportation cost of PEI bead foams significantly. A novel compression molding process was developed to prepare the molded PEI bead foams (MPEIs) using epoxy as a coating agent. The good infiltration character of epoxy on bead foams endowed the MPEIs with excellent mechanical properties, together with an ultralow density of 80-200 kg/m³, long-term dimensional stability at 160 °C, and excellent flame-retardant properties of V0 rating. These features made the MPEIs very promising for many advanced applications.

An experimental study on foaming of linear low-density polyethylene/high-density polyethylene blends

In this research work, foaming behavior of selected polyethylene blends was studied in a solid-state batch process, using CO2 as the blowing agent. Special emphasis was paid towards finding a relationship between foamability and thermal and rheological properties of blends. Pure high-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, and their blends with two weight fraction levels of high-density polyethylene (10 and 25%wt.) were examined. The dry blended batches were mixed using an internal mixer in a molten state, and then the disk-shaped specimens, 1.8 mm in thickness, were produced for foaming purposes. The foaming step was conducted over a wide range of temperatures (120–170℃), and the overall expansion and cellular morphology were evaluated via density measurements and captured SEM micrographs, respectively. Three-dimensional structural images were also captured using a high resolution X-ray micro CT for different foamed samples and were compared. Rheological and DSC tests for the virgin and blends were also performed to seek for a possible correlation with the formability. Based on the results, blended polyethylene foams exhibited remarkable expansion and highly enhanced cell structure compared to pure polymers. Bulk density, as low as 0.33 g/cm3, was obtained for blends, while for the virgin high-density polyethylene  and linear low-density polyethylene, bulk density lower than 0.5 g/cm3 was not attainable. The lowest density was observed at a foaming temperature of 10–20℃ above the melting (peak) temperature obtained via DSC test. Rheological characteristics, including storage modulus and cross-over frequency value, were also found to be the indicators for the materials foaming behavior. Moreover, blends with 25% wt. of high-density polyethylene exhibited the highest expansion values over a wider range of temperature compared with 90% linear low-density polyethylene/10% high-density polyethylene.