Chemistry:Cyclic microcellular foaming
Cyclic microcellular foaming refers to the solid-state Microcellular plastic manufacturing technique in which the polymer is foamed sequentially. The concept was first introduced in a research article in peer-reviewed international journal, Materials Letters[1] on Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene as the base Polymer.[2]
In the right side, the scanning electron images describes the concept of cyclic microcellular foaming. Clearly, it can be seen that with the repeated microcellular foaming, the cell size enhances significantly and simultaneously the cell wall thickness reduces.
File:First stage microcellular foam.tif File:Cyclic Microcellular Foam.tif
Further, in the research article, these cyclic microcellular foamed polymers were exposed to ultrasound excitations due to which the cell walls got ruptured and open cellular microstructure were developed. The further images describe the scanning electron micrographs of the influence of ultrasonic waves on the microcellular morphological attributes. Certainly, it can be clearly observed that the cells become interconnected and porous which opens up a wide new field of research in microcellular polymers.
File:Surface micrograph before ultrasound treatment.tif File:Surface micrograph after ultrasound treatment.tif
References
- ↑ "Materials Letters - Journal - Elsevier". http://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-letters/.
- ↑ Gandhi, Abhishek (2013). "Ultrasound assisted cyclic solid-state foaming for fabricating ultra-low density porous acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene foams". Materials Letters 94 (94): 76–78. doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2012.12.024.
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