Enhancement of Polymer Foam Quality by Modifying Structural and Decomposition Characteristics of Chemical Blowing Agent

Abstract

The polymer foam quality was enhanced significantly by modifying the structural and decomposition characteristics of chemical blowing agent (CBA), including the basic particle size, compatibility with the polymer matrix and gas yield. The submicrometer semicarbazide-covalently anchored polystyrene (SCPS) particles were synthesized and utilized as a blowing agent for polystyrene foaming. The results demonstrated the decreased basic particle size, enhanced dispersion and modified decomposition characteristic of SCPS improved significantly the foam quality. The SCPS having homogeneous size distribution and good compatibility with the polymer matrix contributed to the uniform dispersion of CBA and thus confined cell coarsening.

Keywords:

• Chemical blowing agent
• Foam quality
• Structure and decomposition characteristics

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was financially supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program of China (No. 2007BAE10B02) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50802068).