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Polymers
Special Issues
Polymer Microcellular Foaming and Its Functionalization
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Polymer Microcellular Foaming and Its Functionalization

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 5295

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiaoli Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: processing, property and application of microcellular foamed polymer and its composites; new technology in polymer processing; development and relationship of structure and property of polymer and its composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xia Liao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: polymer processing; polymer structure and properties; supercritical CO2 polymer foaming; functional lightweight porous polymer materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the special structures of microcellular polymeric foams, such as quite small cell size, low to several micro-meters and high cell density up to 109 cells/cm3, they have predominant advantages over traditional polymer foams, i.e., lightweight, material saving, superior comprehensive mechanical properties. With the introduction of different kinds of additives, such as carbons (carbon nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanofibers), conductive and electromagnetic interference shielding foams can be manufactured. Furthermore, microcellular-foamed polymers can also be used in absorption or desorption of oil or organic agents, with the presence of open cells and changing in contact angles. Other usages of microcellular foams are structural parts, tissue-engineering scaffolds, insulations of heat or sound, and so on.

Based on the potential and broadened applications of microcellular foams, this Special Issue of “Polymer Microcellular Foaming and Its Functionalization” addresses polymeric microcellular foams with regard to the processing and functional applications of both traditional thermoplastic and biodegradable materials, as well as their composites. Thermosets and elastomers are included, too. As Guest Editors, we cordially invite you to submit original research or review articles on this subject. Please also feel free to pass on this invitation to any colleagues you feel may be interested. We look forward to your contributions.

Dr. Xiaoli Zhang
Prof. Dr. Xia Liao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microcellular foams
  • properties of microcellular foams
  • batch foaming
  • injection or extrusion foaming
  • novel foaming processes
  • electric conductive foams
  • lightweight EMI shielding foams
  • adsorption or desorption foams
  • super insulation foams
  • tissue engineering scaffold foams
  • other functional applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 10839 KiB  
Article
Open-Celled Foams from Polyethersulfone/Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Blends Using Foam Extrusion
by Aniket Raje, Prokopios Georgopanos, Joachim Koll, Jelena Lillepärg, Ulrich A. Handge and Volker Abetz
Polymers 2023, 15(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15010118 - 27 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2251
Abstract
Polyethersulfone (PESU), as both a pristine polymer and a component of a blend, can be used to obtain highly porous foams through batch foaming. However, batch foaming is limited to a small scale and is a slow process. In our study, we used [...] Read more.
Polyethersulfone (PESU), as both a pristine polymer and a component of a blend, can be used to obtain highly porous foams through batch foaming. However, batch foaming is limited to a small scale and is a slow process. In our study, we used foam extrusion due to its capacity for large-scale continuous production and deployed carbon dioxide (CO2) and water as physical foaming agents. PESU is a high-temperature thermoplastic polymer that requires processing temperatures of at least 320 °C. To lower the processing temperature and obtain foams with higher porosity, we produced PESU/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends using material penetration. In this way, without the use of organic solvents or a compounding extruder, a partially miscible PESU/PEG blend was prepared. The thermal and rheological properties of homopolymers and blends were characterized and the CO2 sorption performance of selected blends was evaluated. By using these blends, we were able to significantly reduce the processing temperature required for the extrusion foaming process by approximately 100 °C without changing the duration of processing. This is a significant advancement that makes this process more energy-efficient and sustainable. Additionally, the effects of blend composition, nozzle temperature and foaming agent type were investigated, and we found that higher concentrations of PEG, lower nozzle temperatures, and a combination of CO2 and water as the foaming agent delivered high porosity. The optimum blend process settings provided foams with a porosity of approximately 51% and an average foam cell diameter of 5 µm, which is the lowest yet reported for extruded polymer foams according to the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Microcellular Foaming and Its Functionalization)
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19 pages, 8281 KiB  
Article
Laser-Induced Microstructuring of Polymers in Gaseous, Liquid and Supercritical Media
by Alexey Rybaltovskii, Nikita Minaev, Svetlana Tsypina, Svetlana Minaeva and Vladimir Yusupov
Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3525; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203525 - 13 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2243
Abstract
New results are presented for laser formation—in particular, the “drawing” of microstructures in polymer films using continuous-wave (CW) laser radiation λ = 405 nm with an intensity of 0.8–3.7 kW/cm2. The laser drawing was carried out in the polymer system poly-2,2′-p-oxydiphenylene-5,5′- [...] Read more.
New results are presented for laser formation—in particular, the “drawing” of microstructures in polymer films using continuous-wave (CW) laser radiation λ = 405 nm with an intensity of 0.8–3.7 kW/cm2. The laser drawing was carried out in the polymer system poly-2,2′-p-oxydiphenylene-5,5′-bis-benzimidazole (OPBI), which consists of two phases: a solid polymer matrix with formic acid (HCOOH) dissolved in it. The formation of microstructures, including the stage of foaming, was carried out in three media: air, water and a supercritical carbon dioxide medium containing dissolved molecules of the silver precursor Ag(hfac)COD. The morphological features of foam-like track structures formed in the near-surface layer of the polymer films by laser “drawing” are considered. A model of processes is presented that explains the appearance of periodic structures. The key point of this model is that it considers the participation of the photoinduced mechanism of explosive boiling of formic acid molecules dissolved in the polymer matrix. Using Raman spectroscopy, spectra were obtained and interpreted, which relate to different stages in the formation of microstructures in OPBI films. The effects associated with the peculiarities of luminescent microstructures on the surfaces of glasses in close contact with polymer films during laser “painting” in the air have been studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Microcellular Foaming and Its Functionalization)
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