Polymer nanocomposite foams

Nano-sized particles such as nano-clays can be mixed with polymers through either melt compounding or in-situ polymerization. By modifying the particle surface with various surfactants and controlling processing conditions, we are able to achieve either intercalated (partial dispersion) or exfoliate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors LEE L. JAMES, ZENG CHANGCHUN, HAN XIANGMIN, KOELLING KURT W, TOMASKO DAVID L
Format Patent
LanguageEnglish
Published 06.11.2003
Edition7
Subjects
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Loading…
More Information
Summary:Nano-sized particles such as nano-clays can be mixed with polymers through either melt compounding or in-situ polymerization. By modifying the particle surface with various surfactants and controlling processing conditions, we are able to achieve either intercalated (partial dispersion) or exfoliated (full dispersion) nano-clay distribution in polymers with the clay content up to 35% by weight. When a blowing agent is injected into the nanocomposite in an extruder (a continuous mixer) or a batch mixer, polymeric foam can be produced. Supercritical carbon dioxide, an environmentally friendly, low-cost, non-flammable, chemically benign gas is used as the blowing agent. This process forms a microcellular foam with very high cell density (>10 cells/cc) and small cell size (<5 microns) can be achieved by controlling the CO2 content, melt and die temperature, and pressure drop rate.
Bibliography:Application Number: US20020137037