Supercritical CO2 Foaming of Radiation Cross-Linked Isotactic Polypropylene in the Presence of TAIC

Autor: Chen-Guang Yang, Mou-Hua Wang, Ming-Xing Zhang, Xiao-Hu Li, Hong-Long Wang, Zhe Xing, Lin-Feng Ye, Guo-Zhong Wu
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Molecules, Vol 21, Iss 12, p 1660 (2016)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1420-3049
DOI: 10.3390/molecules21121660
Popis: Since the maximum foaming temperature window is only about 4 °C for supercritical CO2 (scCO2) foaming of pristine polypropylene, it is important to raise the melt strength of polypropylene in order to more easily achieve scCO2 foaming. In this work, radiation cross-linked isotactic polypropylene, assisted by the addition of a polyfunctional monomer (triallylisocyanurate, TAIC), was employed in the scCO2 foaming process in order to understand the benefits of radiation cross-linking. Due to significantly enhanced melt strength and the decreased degree of crystallinity caused by cross-linking, the scCO2 foaming behavior of polypropylene was dramatically changed. The cell size distribution, cell diameter, cell density, volume expansion ratio, and foaming rate of radiation-cross-linked polypropylene under different foaming conditions were analyzed and compared. It was found that radiation cross-linking favors the foamability and formation of well-defined cell structures. The optimal absorbed dose with the addition of 2 wt % TAIC was 30 kGy. Additionally, the foaming temperature window was expanded to about 8 °C, making the handling of scCO2 foaming of isotactic polypropylene much easier.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals