Supercritical Fluid Microcellular Foaming of High-Hardness TPU via a Pressure-Quenching Process: Restricted Foam Expansion Controlled by Matrix Modulus and Thermal Degradation

oleh: Bichi Chen, Junjie Jiang, Yaozong Li, Mengnan Zhou, Zelin Wang, Liang Wang, Wentao Zhai

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-12-01

Deskripsi

High-hardness thermoplastic polyurethane (HD-TPU) presents a high matrix modulus, low-temperature durability, and remarkable abrasion resistance, and has been used in many advanced applications. However, the fabrication of microcellular HD-TPU foam is rarely reported in the literature. In this study, the foaming behavior of HD-TPU with a hardness of 75D was investigated via a pressure-quenching foaming process using CO<sub>2</sub> as a blowing agent. Microcellular HD-TPU foam with a maximum expansion ratio of 3.9-fold, a cell size of 25.9 μm, and cell density of 7.8 × 10<sup>8</sup> cells/cm<sup>3</sup> was prepared, where a high optimum foaming temperature of about 170 °C had to be applied with the aim of softening the polymer’s matrix modulus. However, the foaming behavior of HD-TPU deteriorated when the foaming temperature further increased to 180 °C, characterized by the presence of coalesced cells, microcracks, and a high foam density of 1.0 g/cm<sup>3</sup> even though the crystal domains still existed within the matrix. The cell morphology evolution of HD-TPU foam was investigated by adjusting the saturation time, and an obvious degradation occurred during the high-temperature saturation process. A cell growth mechanism of HD-TPU foams in degradation environments was proposed to explain this phenomenon based on the gas escape through the defective matrix.