Temperature-induced morphology control in the polymer-foaming process

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) is a promising foaming agent for the production of polymeric foams, representing an environmentally friendly alternative for the foaming agents currently used. During the expansion phase of the scCO₂-foaming process, temperature plays an essential role. This stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIChE journal 2007-10, Vol.53 (10), p.2651-2658
Main Authors: Jacobs, L.J.M, Kemmere, M.F, Keurentjes, J.T.F, Mantelis, Ch.A, Meyer, Th
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Carbon dioxide
Chemical engineering
Exact sciences and technology
foam
nucleation
Plastic foams
polymer processing
Pressure
process control
supercritical processes
Temperature effects
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Summary:Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) is a promising foaming agent for the production of polymeric foams, representing an environmentally friendly alternative for the foaming agents currently used. During the expansion phase of the scCO₂-foaming process, temperature plays an essential role. This study focuses on relating the effects of temperature and pressure profiles on the foaming process and the resulting foam morphology. Therefore, several experiments have been performed in a high pressure reaction calorimeter (RC1e) that can be set to three different modes: isothermal, adiabatic, and isoperibolic. It has been observed that the foaming could be divided into four stages: nucleation, slow cell growth, fast cell growth, and shrinkage. The degree of shrinking that occurs is for a great deal dependent on the exposure to higher temperatures at the end of the foaming process. Since shrinkage does not occur in the adiabatic mode, this mode gives the best control on the foam morphology. © 2007 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2007
ISSN:0001-1541
1547-5905
DOI:10.1002/aic.11273