Improving the stability of polylactic acid foams by interfacially adsorbed particles

Polymers such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), which have poor melt strength, are difficult to foam due to severe cell coalescence during foaming. We show that addition of a few percent of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles can stabilize PLA foams against bubble coalescence and collapse. The particles and a chemical blowing agent, were dispersed into the PLA by extrusion, and then foamed by heating. The PTFE‐containing foams remained stable even when the foams were held under molten conditions for extended periods. Foam stability is attributed to an interfacial mechanism: due to their low surface energy, the PTFE particles adsorb on the inner surface of the foam bubbles at a high surface coverage, and endow the bubbles with an interfacial “shell” that prevents coalescence. This mechanism resembles the particle‐stabilization of Pickering emulsions in oil/water systems. Particle adsorption at the interface is a necessary condition for using this approach, and hence this approach is most likely to be successful if the particles have a low surface energy and the polymer has a high surface tension. The approach of using interfacially adsorbed particles can be broadly generalized, and offers the opportunity of foaming various polymers with low melt strength, or for expanding the processing window within which foaming can be conducted. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:9–17, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Injection Molded Strong Polypropylene Composite Foam Reinforced with Rubber and Talc

Lightweight plastic foams are of great significance for saving resources and reducing energy consumption. Foam injection molding (FIM) shows a promising future to provide lightweight and shape‐complex plastic components. However, it is still challenging to produce lightweight and strong polypropylene (PP) foams by FIM due to PP's poor foaming ability. Herein, rubber and talc are employed to improve PP's foaming ability, and hence to enhance PP foam's mechanical properties. Due to the significantly enhanced rheological properties, injection molded PP composite foam exhibits greatly refined and homogenized cellular structure compared with pure PP foam. Thanks to rubber toughening effect and improved cellular morphology, PP/rubber foam shows much higher ductility than pure PP foam. Moreover, talc particles lead to remarkably enhanced rigidity of PP/rubber foams. Thus, lightweight and strong PP/rubber/talc composite foam is achieved with tensile toughness increased by 82.58% and impact strength increased by 106.21%, and they show broad industrial application prospects.     

碳酸钙填充EVA／再生PE体系的发泡效果

对几种不同规格的碳酸钙（分别为400目、800目和2500目重质碳酸钙）对EVA／再生PE体系的发泡效果进行了研究，通过对发泡曲线、发泡体体积膨胀率、表观密度和硬度的比较分析，对三种不同目数的碳酸钙在不同填充量时的发泡效果进行了评价。结果表明，三种规格碳酸钙的发泡有相似之处，尤其是都表现出了高填充（180份）和高发泡（发泡体积膨胀倍数≥6)的可行性。     

The effect of dispersed elastomer particle size on heterogeneous nucleation of TPO with N2 foaming

Blending polypropylene (PP) with elastomeric modifiers provides a simple method of improving polymer's impact strength. Such PP/elastomer blends are commonly called thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) blends. Developing TPO materials suitable for foaming is of great interest because they can be applied in high-volume markets such as the automotive industry. For immiscible polymer blends such as TPO, it has been often noted that the dispersed particles can act as cell nucleating agents, thereby enhancing heterogeneous nucleation. However, little work has been done to assess the effects of blend morphology on the nucleation behavior. Furthermore, the effects of elastomer dispersion on TPO foamability are still unknown. In this work, TPO blends with different blend morphologies were prepared by controlling the viscosity ratio between the blending components. Experimental results from both batch foaming and extrusion foaming processes with nitrogen (N₂) indicate that the foam structure is influenced by the size and the number density of the dispersed particles.     

Preparation and properties of enstatite ceramic foam from talc

The effective method of preparation, stabilization and high temperature treatment of enstatite ceramic foam is described in this work. The technique is based on foaming of suspension of talc, on the stabilization of foam structure and on final high temperature treatment after drying. The spontaneous delamination of aggregates and the redistribution of talc particles in foam are driven by decreasing surface energy. The changes of phase composition as well as the mechanism and the kinetics of processes which take place during the thermal treatment were described. The treatment within the temperature range from 1150 to 1250 °C provides the ceramic foam via sintering without melted phase, whereas a liquid phase sintering occurs at higher temperatures. The final temperature of sintering is 1300 °C. Increasing amount of melted phase supports the formation of enclosed porosity and formed glass stabilizes the high temperature protoenstatite polymorph in the foam.     

粒子稳定型泡沫浆料及多孔氧化铝陶瓷的制备

采用短链两亲分子戊酸修饰氧化铝颗粒,使其部分具有的疏水性,在机械搅拌的作用下,形成了粒子稳定型泡沫(particle-stabilized foam),制备了一种新型的超稳定陶瓷泡沫浆料.研究了这种浆料的pH值对发泡率的影响,发现在pH值为4.8附近,戊酸对氧化铝颗粒的表面修饰作用最好,发泡程度最大;通过改变pH值,能够调整浆料的发泡程度,以满足不同应用领域对发泡率的要求.采用凝胶注模成型工艺,利用粒子稳定型泡沫浆料,成功制备了具有相互连通气孔-窗口(cell-window)结构的多孔陶瓷,由于其致密的支架结构使其具有高抗压强度,对于气孔率为85%的多孔氧化铝,其抗压强度在8MPa以上.     

Effect of sintering on processability vis-a-vis microcellular foaming of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene

Processing of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) involves sintering due to its high melt strength and no flowability above melting temperature. Variations in compression molding pressure during sintering lead to chain rearrangement at the sintered interphase and the boundary, affecting foamability. UHMWPE particles are sintered using compression molding; samples are prepared at two different pressures: UHPE-HP (80 bar) and UHPE-LP (40 bar) at 180°C. The sintering phenomenon of UHMWPE particles is observed through an optical microscope, and their effect on foaming was observed. UHPE-HP foams are systematically studied to obtain the foaming window. Increasing foaming pressure (80–120 bar) made UHPE-HP foams softer (0.350–0.219 g/cm³) with varying average cell size (26.37–46.1 μm) and foam cell density (3.98 × 10⁷–1.06 × 10⁸ cells/cm³), and compression modulus decreased from 9 to 5.4 MPa. DMA results showed a strong dependence of stiffness on crystallinity, and foamed samples exhibit higher stiffness than their unfoamed counterpart. The storage modulus for foamed samples decreases with increase in the gas content. The UHPE-LP foam is relatively softer, with a lower foam density (0.233 g/cm³), a higher expansion ratio, bigger average foam cells (35.13 μm), and lower foam cell density (9.33 × 10⁷ cells/cm³). This is due to constrained crystallinity at the interphase and pre-existing cavities, favoring the foaming.     

Synthesis and Assessment of a CO2‐Switchable Foaming Agent Used in Drilling Fluids for Underbalanced Drilling

In underbalanced drilling, a switchable foam fluid is essential to reduce the drilling cost. A switchable foaming agent was synthesized by carbonyl–amine condensation and characterized by Fourier transform infrared and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry showed that the tolerable temperature limit of the surfactant was 128 °C. The effectiveness of CO₂/N₂ switching was confirmed by analysis of the electrical conductivity and surface tension. Utilizing the foaming agent, 3 different foam systems (unstable, stable, and hard) were designed for drilling after formula optimization. Experimentally, the self‐circulation indicated that the foaming fluids still maintained great foaming performance even after multiple cycles. The experiment also indicated that the suspension of the foam systems was 50–90 times that of water and had a significant resistance to salts (NaCl, CaCl₂). Besides, the foam systems found that the suitable foaming temperature was 40–100 °C and that the hard foam system could maintain the foaming performance up to 120 °C. In the oil resistance experiment, the foaming ability of the foam systems decreased obviously above a kerosene content of 5% (w/v), whereas a certain foaming performance still could be ensured below 10% kerosene.     

泡沫复合驱用癸基糖苷磺酸盐的合成及性能研究

以癸基葡萄糖苷(C_(10)APG)和3-氯-2-羟基丙烷磺酸钠为原料反应制得癸基糖苷磺酸盐(C_(10)APGS),用FT-IR和ESI-MS对产物进行了表征,并对其泡沫性能和吸附性进行了测定。结果表明:C_(10)APGS表现出良好的发泡能力和泡沫稳定性,其发泡率和排液半衰期随C10APGS质量分数的增加而增加,当质量分数增加到0.4%后,发泡率和排液半衰期增速变缓;随着二价盐质量分数的增加,C10APGS的发泡率变化不大,但对泡沫稳定性产生明显的影响,当二价盐质量分数增加到8%时,C10APGS仍表现出良好的耐盐性能;相对于C_(10)APG,C10APGS的饱和吸附损失量降低了14.4%,可作为较理想的发泡剂应用于高盐油藏的泡沫复合驱。     

PMI泡沫材料的制备及性能研究

采用偶氮二异庚腈(ABVN)为引发剂,尿素/甲酰胺为复合发泡剂制备了一种高性能聚甲基丙烯酰亚胺(PMI)泡沫材料。重点考察了不同配比的混合发泡剂用量对PMI泡沫材料性能的影响。结果表明:通过改变两种发泡剂的用量可以获得泡孔均匀且密度为38.39⁷5.99 kg/m3的PMI泡沫材料,而PMI泡沫的力学性能和热性能与泡沫密度呈正相关。当尿素和甲酰胺的用量都为1 phr时,所得PMI泡沫材料具有最佳综合性能,其拉伸强度和压缩强度分别为2.0 MPa和1.42 MPa,玻璃化转变温度(Tg)为217.7℃。     

Influence of different process and material parameters on chemical foaming of fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymers

In this article, the chemical foaming of fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymers (FEP) is investigated. For the laboratory scale foam extrusion process, a chemical blowing agent adapted to the high melting temperature of FEP had to be found. Foaming experiments were carried out varying process and material parameters. Foam densities as well as cellular structures were analyzed to characterize how the parameters influence the foaming behavior of the FEP melt. An increasing rate of the foam extrusion caused an augmentation of cell numbers at a simultaneous decrease of their diameters. Moreover, a pronounced reduction of the foam density with increasing output rate could be observed. Changing the temperature of the foam extrusion, an optimum in density reduction and homogeneity of the cell size was found. Furthermore, the influence of an appropriate nucleation agent on the resulting geometry and amount of cells was investigated. Though the chemical blowing agent itself can act as an implement for nucleating cell growth, an addition of 10 wt% of calcium fluoride particles showed a significant augmentation in cell quantity. For the chemical foam extrusion process, three FEP with different viscosities were characterized. With decreasing viscosity, a reduction in foam density could be observed for all temperatures. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1740–1749, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Carbon foams prepared from coal tar pitch for building thermal insulation material with low cost

A new approach is provided to resolve the large-scale applications of coal tar pitch. Carbon foams with uniform pore size are prepared at the foaming pressure of normal pressure using coal tar pitch as raw materials. The physical and chemical performance of high softening point pitch(HSPP) can be regulated by vacuumizing owing to the cooperation of vacuumizing and polycondensation. Results indicate that the optimum softening point and weight ratio of quinoline insoluble are about 292℃ and 65.7%, respectively. And the optimum viscosity of HSPP during the foaming process is distributed in the range of 1000-10000 Pa·s. The resultant carbon foam exhibits excellent performance, such as uniform pore structure, high compressive strength(4.7 MPa), low thermal conductivity(0.07 W·m~(-1) ·K~(-1)), specially, it cannot be fired under the high temperature of 1200 ℃.Thus, this kind of carbon foam is a potential candidate for thermal insulation material applied in energy saving building.     

Investigation of a strategy for well controlled inducement of microcellular and nanocellular morphologies in polymers

This study is an effort to modify conventional batch processes to be able to produce polymeric foams with high cell density and small cell size, which cannot be reached by conventional batch foaming processes. This has been attained by controlling the foaming temperature and controlled stabilization of the cellular structure. The method was tested for both with and without addition of nanosized particles in polymeric matrix. The desired morphologies were obtained using a novel apparatus with the capability of instantaneous pressure drop and controlling stabilization of the foam structure. The design of the said apparatus was based on the idea that in a foaming process, nucleation is the predominant mechanism that determines the final foam structure. The produced foam products have uniform structures without any unfoamed skin. Results show that the control of the foaming temperature and the cell stabilization are the predominant factors in adjustment of the final foam morphology. A wide range of microcellular structures with cell densities between 10⁷ and 10¹² bubbles/cm³ and average cell sizes of 500 nm–20 μm were produced. Foaming of polystyrene‐nano‐silica nano‐composites with the same method showed that nanoparticles act as nucleating agent and increase the cell density in the final foam products compared with that of neat polystyrene. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 50:1558–1570, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Foam processing and cellular structure of polylactide-based nanocomposites

Via a batch process in an autoclave, the foam processing of neat polylactide (PLA) and two different types of PLA-based nanocomposites (PLACNs) has been conducted using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a foaming agent. The cellular structures obtained from various ranges of foaming temperature-CO₂ pressure were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The incorporation with nano-clay induced heterogeneous nucleation because of a lower activation energy barrier compared with homogeneous nucleation as revealed by the characterization of the interfacial tension between bubble and matrix. The grown cells having diameter of ∼200 nm were localized along the dispersed nano-clay particles in the cell wall. The dispersed nano-clay particles acted as nucleating sites for cell formation and the cell growth occurs on the surfaces of the clays. The PLACNs provided excellent nanocomposite foams having high cell density from microcellular to nanocellular.     

Study of Foaming Properties and Effect of the Isomeric Distribution of Some Anionic Surfactants

Using different reaction conditions of photosulfochlorination of n-dodecane, two samples of anionic surfactants of sulfonate type are obtained. Their micellar behavior has been already reported and the relationship between their isomeric distribution and their chemical structures and micellar behaviors have been more thoroughly explored. In this investigation, we screened the foaming properties (foaming power and foam stability) by a standardized method very similar to the Ross–Miles foaming tests to identify which surfactants are suitable for applications requiring high foaming, or, alternatively, low foaming. The results obtained for the synthesized surfactants are compared to those obtained for an industrial sample of secondary alkanesulfonate (Hostapur 60) and to those of a commercial sample of sodium dodecylsulfate used as reference for anionic surfactants. The foam formation and foam stability of aqueous solutions of the two samples of dodecanesulfonate are compared as a function of their isomeric distribution. These compounds show good foaming power characterized in most cases by metastable or dry foams. The highest foaming power is obtained for the sample rich in primary isomers which also produces foam with a relatively high stability. For the sample rich in secondary isomers we observe under fixed conditions a comparable initial foam height but the foam stability turns out to be low. This property is interesting for applications requiring low foaming properties such as dishwashing liquid for machines. The best results are observed near and above the critical micellar concentrations and at 25 °C for both the samples.

Mechanism Study on the Severe Foaming of Rhamnolipid in Fermentation

Although the biosurfactant rhamnolipid has been previously characterized as having low foam ability, its fermentation is largely impeded by severe foaming. Hence, the investigation of this paradox is critically important for improving the mass production of rhamnolipid. Unexpectedly, the hydrophobic cell, instead of rhamnolipid, has been claimed to explain such severe foaming in rhamnolipid fermentation. This study tried to systematically investigate the severe foaming in fermentation, aiming to propose an effective strategy for foam control. The overflowing foam sustained a super high stability in terms of half‐time for over 30 min. The major product of rhamnolipid largely contributed to the severe foaming in the fermentation process whereas other products like cells elicited much more limited effects. Furthermore, the foam stability of the fermentation broth increased with rhamnolipid concentration and noticeably increased with agitation speed. In the classic Bikerman foam test system without stirring, rhamnolipid showed foam stability as low as Tween 20 which is well known for its poor foam stability. However, in a stirring Bikerman system, rhamnolipid exhibited a foam stability almost as high as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 10 g/L and even surpassed SDS at a higher concentration of 20 g/L. Hence, the extraordinarily increased foam stability of rhamnolipid with both agitation and concentration could explain the severe foaming at its late‐stage fermentation when rhamnolipid‐rich solution is mechanically agitated.     

Effect of Temperature on Foaming Ability and Foam Stability of Typical Surfactants Used for Foaming Agent

Foam has extensive applications in a wide range of industrial fields. Some surfactants are used as foaming agents in the preparation of foam. The performance of the foaming agent directly affects the application of the foam. In this paper, experiments were designed and conducted to reveal the influence of temperature on foaming performance of 10 typical anionic, cationic, nonionic, and amphiprotic surfactants. They were exposed to different temperature conditions to measure the foaming capacity (FC), foaming expansion (FE), and foam’s half-life. FC and FE represent foaming ability (FA), and half-life represents foam stability (FS). The results show that the FC increased at elevated foaming temperature, while FS decreased with rising temperature. Anionic surfactants are less affected by temperature and have better FA and longer FS. It seems that 20–30 °C is an ideal foaming temperature. This study lays an important foundation for the efficient preparation and utilization of foam in industrial fields.     

Novel design of alumina foams with three-dimensional reticular architecture for effective high-temperature particulate matter capture

Ceramic foams with extensive interconnected pores have great application potential in high-temperature particulate matter (PM) capture. Considering that there are still challenges to synthesize ceramic foams with efficient filtration, a novel hierarchical-structured alumina foam with three-dimensional (3D) reticular architecture has been fabricated via combining chemical grafting pore-forming agent and polyurethane (PU) foaming technology. Carbon black is grafted with carbamate functional groups in order to enable a better dispersion in highly viscous PU. Submicrometer and micrometer-sized pores on the cell walls are observed in hierarchical-structured ceramic foams. The resulting alumina foam exhibits 95.2% removal efficiency for PM particles and low pressure drop of only 50 Pa when grafted carbon black content is 3 wt%. This filtration performance is much higher than that of existing ceramic materials. These features, combined with our experimental design strategy, provide a new insight to design high-temperature PM filtration materials with durable high performance.     

抗氧剂对聚醚抗老化性能的影响

不同聚醚由于其下游应用需求不同,对抗氧剂的需求也不同。普通软泡聚醚在发泡应用时由于发泡配方中含水量高,发泡温度比较高,泡沫的烧芯问题是抗氧剂要解决的关键问题,U-pack B7033可以满足应用需求;对于高回弹聚醚,由于其主要应用是汽车领域,除了考虑泡沫的抗烧芯性能外,还要考虑添加的抗氧剂对聚醚及聚氨酯泡沫的醛酮含量以及VOC的影响,U-pack B7170可以满足应用要求;CASE聚醚用抗氧剂除了要考虑聚醚的储存稳定性外,还要考虑下游制备聚氨酯预聚体时的颜色稳定性,U-pack B7522可以满足应用要求。     

Polyhedral alumina foam

The presented paper reports on the results of preparation of alumina foam with ideal polyhedral shapes of bubbles-pores. The foam was prepared by direct foaming method using partially hydrophobized Al₂O₃ particles, where dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid was used as a hydrophobization agent. A polyhedral shape of the bubbles was achieved by “water procedure”, in which the alumina foam prepared by the direct foaming method was poured into twice its volume of water and mixed. After the mixing was stopped, the particles with an inadequate contact angle were washed out from the system of the alumina foam by draining. The foam was formed only from particles which were physically bound in the lamellas and the bubbles were arranged in ideal polyhedral shapes. The water procedure increases the foam stability, allowing for preparation of alumina foams with porosity of 99 %.