Exploring the Multifunctional Applications of Surface-Coated Polymeric Foams-A Review

Polymeric foams are porous, lightweight, and low-cost materials. Tradition-ally, polymeric foams have been used in home appliances, automotive, construction,transportation, and aerospace. However, the modern advancements and the materialsdemand have fostered the expansion of the application realm of these foams to othertechnological areas encompassing energy storage devices and Li-ion batteries, piezoresistivesensors, biomedical scaffolds, oil-water separation and water remediation etc., throughcoating. The sustainable technological solutions of these low-cost foams have now beenrealized through mutual attributes of their properties (high surface area, open-cell, lowdensity, andflexibility), the availability of numerous advanced materials (e.g., carbonnanotubes, graphenes and metal oxide nanoparticles), and versatile and innovative coatingmethods. In this review, we discuss the recent progress in coating techniques of variouspolymeric foams by surface treatments and their applications. The surface modification ofwidely used and the most studied thermoset foams, namely,flexible polyurethane, melamineformaldehyde foams, thermoplastic foams such as polypropylene and ethylene vinyleneacetate, and polystyrene foams are considered with special emphasis on open-cell foams. Further, hydrophobic coatings which have alarge implication in environment cleanup and oil adsorption are highlighted. The use of a wide spectrum of nanoparticles, polymers,and organic compounds as coating materials is investigated. How the inherent properties such as hydrophobicity, adsorptioncapability, electrical and thermal conductivities,fire retardancy, electromagnetic interference shielding, and biocompatibility of thefoam are influenced through modification is explicitly discussed. The methods which have used the modified foam as a support forcatalysis and electrodes in Li-ion batteries are also deliberated. The properties of these coated substrates have been found to rely onthe coating material, efficacy of the coating method, and the surface properties. Lastly, practical challenges of these foams in largescale use and future prospects in environment cleanup and energy storage have been envisioned

Automated summary

Polymeric foams are porous, lightweight, and low-cost materials with a wide range of applications. This review discusses the coating techniques and applications of polymeric foams, emphasizing the importance of hydrophobic coatings in environmental cleanup and oil adsorption. The influence of coating materials, methods, and surface properties on the characteristics of coated substrates is discussed, along with the use of modified foams as catalyst supports and electrodes in energy storage.