Rheological properties and foam preparation of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate)

To produce biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) foam by compression molding, high viscosity PBS was prepared with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as a crosslinking agent and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) as a curing coagent by crosslink method. The influences of various factors on the foaming process and the properties of PBS foams were investigated. The results show that the use of DCP and TMPTMA simultaneously can effectively increase the melt viscosity of PBS. Zinc oxide/zinc stearate was used to reduce the thermal decomposition temperature of the blowing agent azodicarbonamide, which can balance well the vulcanization of PBS and the decomposition of blowing agent. Finally, closed-cell PBS foams with degradable property have been successfully prepared by a traditional chemical compression molding foaming way. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013