In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments

Deng, Rong; Jiang, Tuanhui; Zhang, Chun; Zeng, Xiangbu; Liu, Bujin; Yang, Jingkui; Li, Shengnan; Gu, Jun; Gong, Wei; He, Li

doi:10.3390/polym13091468

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In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments

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College of Materials Science and Metallurgy Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China

National Engineering Research Center for Compounding and Modification of Polymeric Materials, Guiyang 550014, China

School of Materials and Energy Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang 550003, China

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School of Materials and Architectural Engineering of Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

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These two authors contributed equally to this work: Rong Deng and Tuanhui Jiang.

Academic Editor: Luigi Sorrentino

Polymers 2021, 13(9), 1468; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091468

Received: 1 April 2021 / Revised: 24 April 2021 / Accepted: 26 April 2021 / Published: 1 May 2021

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Foams: Relationship between Structure and Properties)

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Abstract

In this paper, the dynamic foaming process of micro-foaming polypropylene (PP) in different foaming environments in real time was obtained via a visualization device. The relationship curve between cell number (n) and foaming time (t) was plotted, and then the nucleation kinetics of foam cells was analyzed. Results showed that the formation rate of cells changed obviously with the variation of melt temperature and the content of the foaming agent. The n-t curves presented a typical “S” shape, which indicated that the appearance of the cell number increased slowly in the initial foaming period, then increased rapidly in a short time, and finally maintained a certain value. When a certain pressure was applied to the PP melt, the external force had a great influence on the n-t curve. With the increasing external force, the rate of cell formation increased rapidly, and the shape of the n-t curve changed from “S” to “semi-S” without an obvious slow increase. The investigation of the n-t relationship in the PP dynamic foaming process under different foaming environments could provide effective bases for improving the foaming quality of injection molding foaming materials. View Full-Text

Keywords: polypropylene; foaming; dynamic foaming process; cell formation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Deng, R.; Jiang, T.; Zhang, C.; Zeng, X.; Liu, B.; Yang, J.; Li, S.; Gu, J.; Gong, W.; He, L. In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments. Polymers 2021, 13, 1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091468

AMA Style

Deng R, Jiang T, Zhang C, Zeng X, Liu B, Yang J, Li S, Gu J, Gong W, He L. In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments. Polymers. 2021; 13(9):1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091468

Chicago/Turabian Style

Deng, Rong, Tuanhui Jiang, Chun Zhang, Xiangbu Zeng, Bujin Liu, Jingkui Yang, Shengnan Li, Jun Gu, Wei Gong, and Li He. 2021. "In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments" Polymers 13, no. 9: 1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13091468

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In-Situ Visualization of the Cell Formation Process of Foamed Polypropylene under Different Foaming Environments

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