Foam Processing and Cellular Structure of Polycarbonate-Based Nanocomposites

✍ Scribed by Yasuhito Ito; Masatoshi Yamashita; Masami Okamoto

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 615 KB
• Volume: 291
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1438-7492
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200600075

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Summary: Via a batch process in an autoclave, foam processing of intercalated PC/clay nanocomposites, having different amounts of clay, has been conducted using supercritical CO~2~ as a foaming agent. The cellular structures obtained from various foaming temperature‐CO~2~ pressure ranges were investigated by SEM. The incorporation with nanoclay‐induced heterogeneous nucleation occurs because of a lower activation energy barrier compared with homogeneous nucleation as revealed by the characterization of the interfacial tension between bubble and matrix. The controlled structure of the PCCN foams changed from microcellular (d ≅ 20 µm and N~c~ ≅ 1.0 × 10^9^ cells · cm^−3^) to nanocellular (d ≅ 600 nm and N~c~ ≅ 3.0 × 10^13^ cells · cm^−3^). The mechanical properties of PCCN foams under compression test were discussed.

TEM micrograph for the structure of the cell wall foamed at 160 °C.

magnified imageTEM micrograph for the structure of the cell wall foamed at 160 °C.