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