Foaming behavior of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-methyl methacrylate copolymers under ScCO2

We report on the preparation, characterization, and foaming behavior of cellular polymers based on 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). Samples with different feed ratios proportions of VP and MMA were prepared following the bulk radical copolymerization procedure, using commercially available monomers and testing two different initiators (photochemical and thermal), obtaining solid samples of around 1.5 mm thick. To evaluate the polymerization process, the chemical structure of VP/MMA copolymers was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. In a second step, single-batch supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) foaming tests were carried out at different temperatures to evaluate the influence of the VP to MMA feed ratios and the foaming temperature in the density, the presence of solid outer skin, the CO2 sorption-desorption process, and the cellular morphology of the foamed polymers.