Micro-Cellular Polystyrene Foam Preparation Using High Pressure CO2: The Influence of Solvent Residua.

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985858%3A_____%2F13%3A00486131" target="_blank" >RIV/67985858:_____/13:00486131 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0280997" target="_blank" >http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0280997</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/masy.201300061" target="_blank" >10.1002/masy.201300061</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Micro-Cellular Polystyrene Foam Preparation Using High Pressure CO2: The Influence of Solvent Residua.

Original language description

Polystyrene (PS) foams are commonly used as heat insulators. Their heat insulation properties can be greatly improved by decreasing the cell size into the range of micrometres, resulting in the so-called micro-cellular foams. We prepared micro-cellular PS foams and studied the influence of toluene residua on the foam structure. First, PS films were prepared by the dip-coating method using toluene as the solvent. Then, the PS films were foamed by the pressure induced foaming method using high pressure CO2. The foam structures were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray micro-tomography. For the industrial PS sample containing nucleation agents, the influence of temperature and depressurization rate on cell size was observed in a way consistent with the literature. However, the obtained cell sizes were much larger. Therefore, the effect of toluene residua on the foaming process was systematically studied. A PS sample without nucleation agents was used to exclude their effect on the foaming process. Toluene acts as a co-solvent and enhances the CO2 solubility in PS, which should lead to a large amount of small cells. However, at toluene concentrations below 8 %wt, the plasticizing effect of toluene dominates, resulting in enhanced coalescence and cell growth. Foam heat insulation properties improve with increasing porosity. The toluene residua increased the porosity by increasing the cell sizes and lowering the thickness of the compact skin at the film surface. We conclude that toluene residua greatly influence the foam structure and this finding can be potentially used to control the foaming process.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

D - Article in proceedings

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

20402 - Chemical process engineering

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2013

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Article name in the collection

Macromolecular Symposia, Volume 333, Issue 1

ISBN

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ISSN

1022-1360

e-ISSN

—

Number of pages

7

Pages from-to

266-272

Publisher name

Wiley-V

Place of publication

Weinheim

Event location

Hamburg

Event date

May 21, 2013

Type of event by nationality

EUR - Evropská akce

UT code for WoS article

000335437800029