Foaming and chain extension of completely biodegradable poly(propylene carbonate) using DPT as blowing agent

Completely biodegradable foams of poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) derived from carbon dioxide and propylene oxide were fabricated using N, N′-dinitroso pentamethylene tetramine (DPT) as chemical blowing agent, and urea as the activator to lower the decomposition temperature of DPT. Thermal decomposition behavior and gas evolution behavior of the DPT composite with various urea to DPT ratios were investigated to optimize the composition of the blowing agent. The formulation of blowing agent mixture and foaming condition, the foam morphologies, the molecular weight change, as well as the mechanical properties of produced PPC foams were studied extensively. The experimental results demonstrated that the greatest blowing ratio of 14.8 can be afforded in case 12 phr blowing agent was used at 170 °C for 30 min. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermal analysis revealed that DPT acted as both chain-extension agent and blowing agent for PPC matrix. The molecular weight of PPC subjected to foaming increased by 76%. The foamed PPC exhibited superior mechanical properties and can be used as packaging material for many practical applications.