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Gonçalves LFFF, Reis RL, Fernandes EM. Forefront Research of Foaming Strategies on Biodegradable Polymers and Their Composites by Thermal or Melt-Based Processing Technologies: Advances and Perspectives. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1286. [PMID: 38732755 PMCID: PMC11085284 DOI: 10.3390/polym16091286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The last few decades have witnessed significant advances in the development of polymeric-based foam materials. These materials find several practical applications in our daily lives due to their characteristic properties such as low density, thermal insulation, and porosity, which are important in packaging, in building construction, and in biomedical applications, respectively. The first foams with practical applications used polymeric materials of petrochemical origin. However, due to growing environmental concerns, considerable efforts have been made to replace some of these materials with biodegradable polymers. Foam processing has evolved greatly in recent years due to improvements in existing techniques, such as the use of supercritical fluids in extrusion foaming and foam injection moulding, as well as the advent or adaptation of existing techniques to produce foams, as in the case of the combination between additive manufacturing and foam technology. The use of supercritical CO2 is especially advantageous in the production of porous structures for biomedical applications, as CO2 is chemically inert and non-toxic; in addition, it allows for an easy tailoring of the pore structure through processing conditions. Biodegradable polymeric materials, despite their enormous advantages over petroleum-based materials, present some difficulties regarding their potential use in foaming, such as poor melt strength, slow crystallization rate, poor processability, low service temperature, low toughness, and high brittleness, which limits their field of application. Several strategies were developed to improve the melt strength, including the change in monomer composition and the use of chemical modifiers and chain extenders to extend the chain length or create a branched molecular structure, to increase the molecular weight and the viscosity of the polymer. The use of additives or fillers is also commonly used, as fillers can improve crystallization kinetics by acting as crystal-nucleating agents. Alternatively, biodegradable polymers can be blended with other biodegradable polymers to combine certain properties and to counteract certain limitations. This work therefore aims to provide the latest advances regarding the foaming of biodegradable polymers. It covers the main foaming techniques and their advances and reviews the uses of biodegradable polymers in foaming, focusing on the chemical changes of polymers that improve their foaming ability. Finally, the challenges as well as the main opportunities presented reinforce the market potential of the biodegradable polymer foam materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F. F. F. Gonçalves
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs–Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal;
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui L. Reis
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs–Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal;
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Emanuel M. Fernandes
- 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs–Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal;
- ICVS/3B’s—PT Government Associate Laboratory, Barco, 4805-017 Guimarães, Portugal
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Lepcio P, Daguerre-Bradford J, Cristadoro AM, Schuette M, Lesser AJ. Frontally polymerized foams: thermodynamic and kinetical aspects of front hindrance by particles. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023. [PMID: 37191139 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh01553f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Frontal polymerization (FP) is a solvent-free, energy-efficient process where a self-propagating polymerization reaction with a characteristic sharp temperature gradient at the front head propagates through the resin to provide the curing conditions. It relies on the enthalpic balance, which spreads the reaction to unreacted resin in the neighborhood. Therefore, the FP is sensitive to the presence of non-reactive volumes, such as boundaries, fillers, or other additives, that retain heat from the front but produce no enthalpy in return. On the other hand, the front's high temperature could be used to initiate other processes, such as foaming, incorporating them into a simple single-step fabrication procedure. This study used silica particles of two different sizes (14 nm and 200-300 nm) in an epoxy-based FP foam as a representative filler to probe the constraints imposed by non-reactive additives. The presence of particles visibly hindered the front propagation, increased the foam density and even corrupted the frontal regime in some cases. We show that preheating or chemical composition changes are viable approaches to address the fillers' adverse effects. Furthermore, we present evidence that the reduced reaction enthalpy caused by silica nanoparticles, was balanced by the lower heat capacity of our model system. At the same time, the front hindrance was attributed to changes in reaction kinetics and the heat distribution around the front. These results set up essential narratives for the design and practical applications of frontally polymerized foams with non-reactive fillers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Lepcio
- Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 656/123, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Markus Schuette
- BASF Polyurethanes, Elastogranstr 60, Lemfoerde, 49448, Germany
| | - Alan J Lesser
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Zarybnicka K, Lepcio P, Svatik J, Jancar J, Ondreas F. Effect of the nanoparticles on the morphology and mechanical performance of thermally blown
3D
printed
HIPS
foams. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.53413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Klara Zarybnicka
- Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic
| | - Petr Lepcio
- Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic
| | - Juraj Svatik
- Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic
| | - Josef Jancar
- Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Ondreas
- Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Brno Czech Republic
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Peng K, Mubarak S, Diao X, Cai Z, Zhang C, Wang J, Wu L. Progress in the Preparation, Properties, and Applications of PLA and Its Composite Microporous Materials by Supercritical CO 2: A Review from 2020 to 2022. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14204320. [PMID: 36297898 PMCID: PMC9611929 DOI: 10.3390/polym14204320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of degradable plastic foams is in line with the current development concept of being pollution free and sustainable. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) microporous foam with biodegradability, good heat resistance, biocompatibility, and mechanical properties can be successfully applied in cushioning packaging, heat insulation, noise reduction, filtration and adsorption, tissue engineering, and other fields. This paper summarizes and critically evaluates the latest research on preparing PLA microporous materials by supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) physical foaming since 2020. This paper first introduces the scCO2 foaming technologies for PLA and its composite foams, discusses the CO2-assisted foaming processes, and analyzes the effects of process parameters on PLA foaming. After that, the paper reviews the effects of modification methods such as chemical modification, filler filling, and mixing on the rheological and crystallization behaviors of PLA and provides an in-depth analysis of the mechanism of PLA foaming behavior to provide theoretical guidance for future research on PLA foaming. Lastly, the development and applications of PLA microporous materials based on scCO2 foaming technologies are prospected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangming Peng
- CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China
- College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Suhail Mubarak
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chonnam National University, Yeosu-si 59626, Jeonnam, Korea
| | - Xuefeng Diao
- Jinyoung (Xiamen) Advanced Materials Technology Co., Ltd., Xiamen 361028, China
| | - Zewei Cai
- CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
- College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- School of Materials and Chemistry Engineering, Minjiang University, Xiyuangong Road No. 200, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Industrial Design Institute, Minjiang University, Xiyuangong Road No. 200, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Correspondence: (C.Z.); (J.W.); (L.W.)
| | - Jianlei Wang
- CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Correspondence: (C.Z.); (J.W.); (L.W.)
| | - Lixin Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Design and Assembly of Functional Nanostructures, Fujian Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Correspondence: (C.Z.); (J.W.); (L.W.)
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